Lost and Found
by LoveShinobi-Angelv
Summary: Something precious is lost. But what happens when a young Uchiha finds it and doesn't want to give it back? -Rated for Sexual Content-  Akito x Natsumi  Note: An OC story
1. Daughter

**A/n****: Alright everyone here is a little surprise! It's a story for our Whirlwind readers! You will find some of your favorite characters are back! Now I know we haven't posted anything for a while, but I do mean only posted. Angelv and I have been writing maniacs! We have so much in store for you that it will blow your mind! Now this isn't the story we promised at the end of Tempest, but it is a new one! We had gone to the movies and saw Tangled and we just got slapped in the face with the idea! So I really hope you enjoy this!**

**And do review, we love reviews and they make us SO happy!**

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter One_

-Daughter-

"Gaara-sama, we have received word from the Hokage. He says, unfortunately, they will not be able to make it to the celebration. They've had an attack from Mist and they still have to take care of some loose ends." A young brunette said, reading off a piece of parchment.

The red haired Kazekage leaned back in his chair and shrugged, looking around the table filled with his council members. "Oh well. Naruto will just have to make it up to Sakura for missing Natsumi's first birthday."

"We are all so excited Kazekage-sama. Natsumi is the most precious little girl I have ever seen." One of the women smiled. Gaara let a small smile of his own grace his features.

"Yes. She is, my sweet little princess." He said, mostly to himself. He focused back on the table and then at the faces of the members. "Alright. Any other news?"

One of the men nodded and brushed some of his dark bangs from his eyes. "Stone has been causing problems along the borders. But that is nothing unusual and we have them secured. Other than that, Mist has been the aggressive one. They are continuously trying to break Konoha down. But there is no worry there. The Hokage has been more than successful at keeping them safe. Mist just wants more territory." He explained, getting a nod from the Kazekage.

"And is that all?"

"For the most part. Nothing of importance really." Another spoke up.

Gaara stood then, as the other members followed. "Alright. Dismissed." He ordered, heading for the door. He wanted to get home and see his family. Once he was out of the room, he started down the hall and then the steps. Things were pretty peaceful lately, other than the occasional trouble. But every country seemed to want more land and expand its boundaries. "Well at least it's not war." The red head mumbled to himself.

He continued down the streets of Suna and looked up when he saw his large mansion right up the hill. He smiled, wanting nothing more than to hold his lovely wife in his arms. He pushed open one of the double doors and stopped in the foyer. "I'm home." He announced.

It was only a few moments until he heard someone run into the front hall. "Dad!" a small, young red haired boy sprinted in wrapping his arms tightly around Gaara's legs. "Dad you're home!" he smiled up at his elder. Gaara kneeled down and picked up his son, giving him a small smirk.

"Hey Toshiro, how was your day today?" he asked. Toshiro was young, at only three years, but he was an exact look alike to his father. His red hair was short and did nothing to hide his dark jade eyes.

"It was good, me and mommy played with Natsumi. She was really happy and I think she likes my hair." He laughed, scratching his head. "She kept trying to grab it. It was funny." He beamed.

Gaara actually laughed, "I'm sure it was. Now where is mommy?"

"She's in the kitchen, making dinner." Toshiro said, pointing down the hall.

"Well ok, then you better go wash up." Gaara told his son, setting him down on his feet and watching him run up one of the double stair cases. When he disappeared down one of the upstairs halls the elder red head walked through the center of the staircases and through a pair of doors into the living room. He turned to the left and went into one of two doors, looking in the kitchen.

There was a pink haired woman, with her back to the door. She had on a white sun dress that stopped just above her knees and tied around her neck. She was busy slicing up some vegetables on a cutting board and didn't bother to turn around, since she knew who it was. Gaara walked up behind her and wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. He kissed her neck and smiled. "Hello my love. I missed you today." He said amorously, showing the side of him that only she was allowed to see.

Sakura turned her head and smiled up at him, pausing in her preparations for dinner. "You miss me every day dearest, but it's nice to hear you say it." She said, kissing him sweetly.

"Well you know I don't like being away from you." He smirked, resting his hands on her hips as he kissed her back. He pulled away, letting her get back to dinner. There was a small laugh from behind the two and Gaara glanced back. "Oh my little princess. How are you?" Gaara said, smiling brightly as he approached the small pink haired girl in the high chair. She reached her hands up, trying to get to her father. "I missed you too my little flower." He picked her up, holding her close and kissing her head. Natsumi laughed and clung onto her dad, staring up at him with beautiful pale jade eyes.

"She said her first word today." Sakura told her husband, checking the lasagna she had put in the oven earlier.

Gaara looked over to his wife and then back down to his little girl. "Really now? And what did she say?"

She walked over to him and wrapped her arm around his waist, laying her head on his shoulder as she looked down at their daughter with a tender smile. "Well, while Toshiro and I were playing peek-a-boo with her earlier, Toshiro asked what time you were coming home, since you had a meeting with the council. But before I could answer, Natsumi looked over at him and said 'Da'." She said, smiling up at him then. "She was calling for you Gaara."

His smile seemed to widen as he nuzzled his sweet little girl. "Is that so my little one?" he asked.

Natsumi stared up at him and touched his cheek. "Da."

Gaara felt joy wash over him. "Yes little one." He nodded and looked back at Sakura. "I'm glad. Especially since Toshiro's first was mommy." He snickered, kissing Sakura on the cheek.

She nudged him playfully and then went to take dinner out of the oven. Then she pulled out a can of baby food and turned back to him. "Would you like to give the little princess her dinner or shall I?" she asked, setting everything on the kitchen table.

"I will sweetheart," he said, sitting Natsumi back in her high chair. "You've been working hard all day. And I can at least handle this." He smirked, taking the food from her and sat next to his little girl. "Open wide." He cooed, she complied and allowed him to feed her. "Good girl." He told her, making her smile.

Toshiro ran into the kitchen then. "I'm hungry!" he declared, struggling to get up into his chair that had a booster seat in it. He sat down and looked over at his sister. "Hi Natsumi!" he waved. She stared over at her brother and waved back excitedly.

Sakura laughed as she served Toshiro his dinner. "There you go honey. Make sure you eat all of your vegetables though, or no dessert." She told him, giving Gaara his plate and then sitting down at the other side of the table between the two redheads.

"What?" he gasped, as if this news were appalling.

"Listen to your mother Toshiro." Gaara said, without a pause in his current task. The little red head huffed and started with the disgusting green on his plate, since he wanted to taste something good when the meal ended.

"So, how was work today?" the pink haired woman asked, taking a bite of the delicious lasagna.

Gaara shrugged and looked over at his wife. "Uneventful. Oh, Naruto won't be able to make it to Natsumi's birthday."

"What?" she asked. Then her eyes narrowed and she pointed her fork at him. "If it's because that damned ramen festival is in town, I'm going to kill him. I will take that ramen and I will shove-" it was then she remembered that Toshiro was present, and Natsumi was now soaking things up like a sponge. Putting her fork down and taking a calming breath, she tried again, although her irritation was still present. "And why can't my best friend and teammate since childhood not come to our one and _only_ daughter's first birthday? Something she will _never_ have again."

"Mist attack Konoha." He said seriously, locking gazes with Sakura.

Her aggravated look dropped. "Oh. Was it anything serious?"

"Nothing that Naruto can't handle I'm sure. The report said that he handled it and Konoha is safe." Natsumi frowned, sensing her parents upset and distress. Toshiro looked back and forth between his parents.

"How come uncle Naruto can't come?"

Sakura gave her son a reassuring smile. "Bad people attacked the village Uncle Naruto lives in, so he has to stay and make sure it's safe, since he's the Hokage." She explained so that he would be able to understand it.

"Oh, kinda like dad does for Suna?" he asked.

"Exactly." She said, resuming eating her meal.

He nodded and continued eating his dinner. When they were done, Gaara picked up Natsumi as she yawned. "I'll put her to bed my love." He leaned down and kissed the top of Sakura's head. He left the room then and Toshiro grabbed his plate, helping his mom with the dishes.

"Why do people attack other people mom?"

She sighed as she began to wash the plates. "Well sweetie, there are lots of reasons why. Sometimes they want more land, or because it's their job to attack other people, or they're just plain mean."

"Do we attack people?"

"We have before. But for the most part, we only fight others when we are defending ourselves." She told him. It was hard to explain it in a way so that he didn't believe that Suna was bad too. Sometimes she wished that such questions didn't have to be answered, but knew he would need to know eventually.

He nodded and pushed the chairs back underneath the table. "Well mom, I'm off to bed." He informed her, running out of the room.

She shook her head at him. Sometimes he acted older than he was, and she would forget that he was only three. Finishing the dishes, she wiped her hands off and left the kitchen, turning off the lights on her way to the stairs. Walking down the hall, she peeked into Toshiro's room and saw that he was already asleep. She kissed him on the forehead before continuing down to Natsumi's room, where Gaara was rocking her. "Is she asleep yet?" she asked softly, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe.

He gave a silent nod and got up, being sure that he didn't awaken her. He placed her down in her crib and pulled up the soft pink sheets, touching her cheek. "Sleep well my precious little princess. See you in the morning." He said, walking towards Sakura and pushing her out of the room. He cracked the door and took his wife's hand. "A nice quiet night."

"Yes." She agreed, laying her head on his shoulder as they walked down the hall to their own room. "They're so rare nowadays."

"I just hope she sleeps through the whole night." He sighed, letting her in first and then closing their door. "She's been quite restless lately." He walked over to his dresser and began to unbuckle his vest. He tossed it aside and undressed, slipping on some loose fitting night pants.

Sakura undressed as well and pulled on a pair of short black silk shorts and a matching tank top. "She has. Perhaps it is because she's going to be a year old soon? I don't know, it could be possible that she is developing a sleeping disorder." She said, pulling back the sheets so they could get in.

He slid in beside her and sighed, "I certainly hope not." He frowned, laying down and turning on his side so he could face her.

"We'll just have to wait a see." She said, nuzzling his chest. Then she looked up at him. "We could try for another one you know. I heard it's best to have them relatively close so that there isn't too much of an age difference."

Gaara laughed and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips against hers. "Well, that is true, but I think for now Natsumi is enough. After all Toshiro and Natsumi are two years apart. We still have time."

"Just a suggestion." She said, smiling at him and looping her arms around his waist.

"Goodnight my love." He smirked, closing his eyes and resting his chin on her head.

"Goodnight Gaara. I love you" She said, closing her eyes.

He pulled her closer, "I love you too."

* * *

The window slid open, not making a sound. A figure, dressed in all black crept into the room and looked around, spotting the crib. The ninja slinked over to the small bedding and peered inside, seeing the sleeping pink haired girl. He reached inside, wrapping the blanket tightly around her and then heading back for the window. He paused only for a moment, because the young girl moved, a small frown etched onto her beautiful face. It was as if she knew the one holding her was not friendly. Without a second to lose the ninja jumped out from the window and into the night, disappearing.


	2. Gone

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Two_

-Gone-

Sakura stretched languidly before rising from the bed. Gaara was making breakfast, so she decided to go wake up Natsumi. Toshiro usually always woke up when Gaara did, so she didn't have to worry about him.

She walked down the hall and to her daughter's room, pushing the door open she said, "Good morning my little one. How did you-" she froze when she saw that the crib was empty. Running over to the side, she searched beneath the blankets and then around the room. As the reality that her daughter was gone sank in, she ran to the doorway and gripped the frame in order to support herself, for she felt as if her knees were going to give out any second.

"GAARA!" she screeched, tears rolling down her face.

It wasn't long before the red head was upstairs and in front of her. "Sakura what's wrong?" he asked, moving to grab her as she collapsed into his arms. He was utterly confused as to what had caused her such dismay.

She clutched his shirt in a fierce grip. "She's gone! My baby's gone!" she cried, her body wracked with sobs. He stiffened and slowly released Sakura, pulling away from her and running into the room. He repeated Sakura's actions and then looked over at the window that was slightly open.

His hands began to shake with rage and pure fury. Sakura could feel something scratching against her wet cheeks. The sand in the room swirled dangerously around its master. It all swam violently towards Gaara and began to grow denser. It constricted and then suddenly it was all gone, taking the Kazekage with it. Toshiro ran up the stairs and peeked into the room, seeing his mother on the ground. He ran towards her and hugged her tightly. "Mommy are you ok? What's wrong? Where's dad? Where's Natsumi?" he questioned, searching around the room.

She pulled her son to her and held onto him as if he was her last string of sanity. "Someone took Natsumi, and your father went to get her." She whispered, trying to control her tears so that she didn't freak Toshiro out too badly.

He pat his mother's back and rubbed it to try and sooth her. He gave her a smile. "Mom if dad went to get her than she'll be back here in no time. Dad's the best ninja there ever was. There's no way he wouldn't find Sumi." He said, with upmost confidence.

"You're right." She sniffed, the corner of her mouth lifted slightly. All she needed to do was have faith in Gaara. He would definitely bring back their daughter. "Come on sweetie. Mommy needs to clean something to keep busy while your dad is away." She said, picking him up as she stood.

He nodded and hugged her. "I'll help you clean mommy. Then we can make Sumi some yummy ice cream for when she gets back." He smiled happily.

"You're right. Now go get dressed, and I'll do the same. Then we'll meet in the kitchen." She told him, setting him down and watching as he ran to his room to change out of his pajamas. A sad look came across her face as she made her way to her room. She only hoped Gaara found their daughter soon. And that he killed whoever dare take her as brutally as possible.

* * *

It had been five days since Gaara left. Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba were sitting in the living room watching the broken pink haired woman sit there. "I came as soon as I got the message Sakura. Please tell me if there's anything I can do." Naruto frowned, getting up and sitting next to his best friend.

Kiba nodded. "Yes Sakura, anything. We've already sent out teams to look for her. Even Sasuke went out in attempts to find her."

"There's nothing you can do. If Gaara can't find her then no one will." She whispered, staring at a picture of her, Gaara, Toshiro and Natsumi. It had been taken not too long ago, since she wanted a family picture. Her grip tightened, and she choked back a sob. She'd cleaned everything in the house, and cooked all of the food. It was now packed away to be used as leftovers in the fridge. She tried to stay strong for her son, but it was hard.

"I'm sure Gaara-sama has her Sakura-chan." Hinata said softly, trying to give her a reassuring smile. "I bet he's on his way home with her right now."

Hinata's words fell on deaf ears. "It shouldn't be taking this long. What if she's hurt? What if they killed her?" she clutched her head and curled in on herself. "Oh my God, what if my baby is dead?"

Naruto wrapped his arms around his friend. "Sakura-chan, you can't think like that. You'll only drive yourself crazy."

She shoved the blonde off of her, glaring at him. "Nothing you say is going to make me feel better Naruto! How would you feel if your daughter was taken from you?" she asked. Hinata gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. Seeing this, Sakura nodded. "Exactly. Now, I'm going to go train. Don't come and get me unless Toshiro needs me, or Gaara returns. I need to let off some steam." She said, walking towards the front door. She grabbed the knob and pulled it open almost running right into Gaara.

The red head gave her a small look, but his face said it all. It looked as if his soul was missing and that nothing in the world mattered. Because it didn't, not anymore. "I'm sorry…"

"No…"she whispered. Then she threw herself on him and clutched his shirt, burying her face in the material. "No!" she sobbed.

He held her tightly, burying his face in her hair. "I'm so sorry." He said again. She could feel her hair dampen. "I looked everywhere…I couldn't…I'm sorry…"

Knowing that he needed comfort too, she wrapped her arms around him. "My baby's gone." She whispered into his chest, tears running down her cheeks. Kiba got up and looked over at Naruto and Hinata, signaling that this was the time to leave. They headed out, but Naruto stopped and looked at his friends.

"I promise. We will never stop looking." He nodded and left with his wife and Kiba. Gaara just remained in Sakura's embrace. He didn't know what to do. How was he going to search for his daughter when she was hardly one year old. Her chakra would seem just like anyone else's. And that was on the slight chance she wasn't already dead.

Eventually her cries died down, and she pulled away to look at him. Cupping his face in her hands, she said, "She isn't dead. We can't believe that. I refuse to believe that. We have to try and be strong for Toshiro. I don't want him to be any more scarred from this than he will be."

Gaara nodded, but promised nothing aloud. He didn't know how he would be able to ever be strong again. "I need to go to the tower." He said, moving from her grip and heading back out the door. He needed to send teams out to try and find his daughter.

"Okay." She said with a nod, watching him leave. She slowly made her way upstairs and entered Natsumi's room. It was exactly how they had left it the morning she had disappeared. Sakura sat in the rocking chair and stared at the crib, her entire body filled with so much sadness she couldn't even cry. Her only daughter was probably gone forever, and she couldn't do a thing about it. In that moment, she vowed never to have another child, since she wasn't a good enough mother to take care of only two.


	3. Covert Operation

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Three_

-Covert Operation-

_**Eighteen years later…**_

"Wait right here sir. The Daimyo will see you in a moment." The servant said, gesturing to a seat. Akito took it graciously.

"Thank you." He said, making himself comfortable. When he was alone in the room he rolled his eyes. This mission was just too easy. Wealthy people were too arrogant for their own good, and the daimyo of Stone wasn't any better.

The entire point of this trip was for him to infiltrate the daimyo's house and find out where he kept his scrolls. Then he had to steal a specific one and get out. No harm, no foul. For the most part he was sent on assassinations and reconnaissance, but every once in a while he had missions where he needed to pretend to be someone else. At the moment, he was a wealthy son of some distant lord, and his name was Hanagawa Daisuke. He and his father didn't get along, which wasn't far from the truth, and he was secretly making an alliance behind his sire's back. A believable enough story, especially given that he was an excellent liar.

Akito shifted in his seat, cursing the uncomfortable formal robes he was wearing to complete his disguise. They were completely black and lined with navy blue, his house colors. This was why he was a ninja instead of dealing with trivial clan business. Not that there really was an Uchiha clan anymore, but that was beside the point. He didn't envy Minako at all. He stiffened and sat up when he heard footsteps approaching, and soon after the feudal lord entered. He was a portly man, with a face very similar to a rat. His balding head had oily brown hair on it, and all around, he was just a disgusting looking man.

He stood and shook the man's chubby hand. "Thank you so much for seeing me on such short notice Lord Ouzin." He said.

"No problem my boy. I must say, I've never heard of this land you come from. The Land of Trees? But then again, I don't really know much about the smaller parts of the world." He joked, his stomach bouncing in laughter.

Akito smiled tightly. God this man was an idiot. He wished he could kill him. "Yes, we are a small country, aren't we? But let us get down to business. I have come to offer you a deal I highly doubt you will regret."

"Let's save the business talk for later, shall we? It's almost dinner after all, and I insist you stay and join me and the boys. We would love to hear more about your home country." The large man said.

He nodded. "Of course my Lord. I would be most honored. Lead the way." He said, bowing slightly. As they walked through the hallways, Akito's deep forest green eyes took in every detail for later. He had already memorized the layout of the house and all of its exits beforehand, but it never hurt to be too careful. As they passed a large room, he saw shelves upon shelves filled with books. Perfect, now all he had to do was wait for the cover of nightfall to get in there and find that scroll.

They entered the dining room, where a group of other men were sitting. He assumed they were the daimyo's most trusted warriors, since their appearance didn't suggest otherwise. "Boys, this here is Lord Hanagawa Daisuke. He'll be staying for a while to discuss business, so treat him with respect." The feudal lord said, taking his seat at the head of the table. The other men nodded and resumed their conversations.

The old man clapped his hands angrily and glared at a door at the far end of the room. "Girl! Get your ass in here and serve us our food! We have a guest this evening!" he yelled. Then turned to Akito. "I'm sorry, you must think me perfectly horrible for having such atrocious servants." He said.

"Nonsense. Some things just cannot be helped." Akito said, waving it off. Although it was hard, because he hated it when other people were treated like dirt. It was just ridiculous. The door pushed open and a girl stumbled in, holding a trey. She looked about nineteen and had short pink hair that was the color of cherry blossoms. She walked over to the Daimyo and set a large platter in front of him. She was wearing a very sultry looking dress, it was black and stopped in the middle of her thighs. The bottom was cut jaggedly and a red under fabric filled where the black didn't. It was tight around her waist and dipped low, tying around her neck with straps over her shoulders as well as around her upper arms. The top had red and black strips and showed just enough cleavage. There was a black chocker around her neck with a star pendent hanging from it. She also wore black flats with black ribbon lacing up her legs to her knees. She moved away from him then but not before he smacked her on the behind, making her stop. She looked as if she might explode, but continued on, serving the rest of them.

"This is Sumi, Daisuke. She's a real beauty, but lacking in her service. She's got a bit of an attitude." The lord snickered, eyeing the girl like she was a piece of meat. "Isn't that right, pretty little Sumi?"

She looked like she was biting back a retort. "Yes sire."

Akito studied the woman. She was a real beauty, but looked vaguely familiar. It was then that he recognized her looks and her eyes. She was the missing daughter that the Kazekage of Suna and his wife had lost a little over eighteen years ago. So this was where she had ended up. Pity. If he had time he'd free her and take her with him, but she would just get in the way. "I'm sure she has never said anything that you didn't deserve to hear during her captivity." Akito observed, immediately catching the woman's expression. The lord just looked confused, and scratched his head.

"Huh?" he asked dumbly.

"Nothing." The young Uchiha said with a shake of his head, smirking despite his words. You would think a lord would be well educated enough to understand such easy jabs as that, but he supposed that would count as giving them too much credit.

The girl stared at him, her eyes narrowing slightly. She shifted her jade gaze to one of the lord's men and placed a setting in front of him. "Well anyways Daisuke, I've been preparing this little one. I think I'm going to have her become my new mistress and break her in. Of course, for the night you could always have her keep you company. I would hate to be inhospitable." He snickered.

"I would rather die."

They all looked to the woman, a bit surprised that she had spoken out of turn. The man nearest to her stood and raised his hand to strike her. "What did you say you worthless piece of trash?" She flinched and held up the trey as a defense, shutting her eyes. But it wasn't needed. The moment she tried to shield herself a wall of sand rose between the two.

If there was any doubt left in his mind as to whom her parents were it was gone now. He just took it all in stride, unlike everyone else. So when the wall fell, he was looking at her in contempt. "I appreciate the offer my Lord, but," he gave her an obvious once over. "She isn't exactly to my tastes. I mean sure, she's a looker, but there are certain areas that are…lacking." He said, not going into further detail. In truth, he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. But she had gone and insulted him by saying she'd rather die than bed him, which in all honesty he wouldn't have done, because his mission was more important, but still. No man would just sit there and take it.

She peeked out of one eye and lowered her trey, the sand having already dispersed before she could see it. It seemed she was unaware of her own blood line. She glanced over at the man who had spoken and actually took in his appearance. He looked like a sculpture, perfect in every way. His dark bangs fell above his beautiful green eyes and he didn't have that look that most of the men she served did. There was something different about him, but she couldn't tell what. The lord seemed to grow annoyed, "Lacking? Daisuke-sama, I have been to many countries and I have yet to see a finer specimen of woman."

Natsumi frowned, she hated when he told her she was beautiful. It made her skin crawl and wish that she was hideous so she could be freed from this hell she'd been in since she was born. She didn't understand why her mother would give her up to the Daimyo, but that had been her life and she was forever a servant to the pig of a man. "Don't waste your breath master." She said, locking gazes with those piercing green eyes. He really was attractive, more handsome than anyone she had ever seen before. But he was just like the others and probably had his own little slave at his home. "I am not swayed by his outward beauty. What's inside repulses me." She said harshly.

The Daimyo stood, glaring at the girl. "Get out! How dare you insult a guest. Kenzo, take her to her room and remind her what happens when she steps out of line." A man with strawberry blonde hair stood and grabbed Natsumi by the upper arm.

"Let go of me!" she glared, trying to break from his iron grip. He pulled her from the room and the sound of struggle died down.

"Well," Ouzin sat back down and grabbed another rib, chewing off the meat. "Please forgive me Daisuke-sama. She's going through that rebellious phase. So hard to control." He sighed, licking his fingers. "Nothing a little force can't straighten out. Once I have her broken in I'm sure her spirit will break. Though it's always a bit fun when they struggle." He laughed, joined in by the others.

Akito remained silent and took a sip of his water. He didn't like it when women were treated so badly, and it was hard for him to just sit here and watch her be dragged away. But he had to focus on his mission. Then he would leave here and forget about the girl. A smirk made its way to his face as he recalled her words. He knew she found him attractive, every woman did, and he could see it in her eyes. As a highly trained ninja he was a master at reading people, and she was no different. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, the girl was like an open book.

They finished dinner with no more sight or sound of the girl, and it was then the lord decided to call it a night and go to bed. More like, he was too drunk to walk properly so his guards took him to his chambers. Akito was shown to his own, and once he was sure he was alone, he quickly threw off his formal robes and put on his ninja gear. He donned a tight sleeveless black shirt that showed his Anbu tattoo on his upper left arm, black pants that stopped before his ankles, and standard ninja shoes. He strapped his kunai holster around his waist and pulled on his fingerless gloves. Making it look like he was asleep in the bed, he activated his sharingan and snuck out of the room.

The entire house was pitch black, but he could see well enough with his kekkei genkai to know where he was going. Directing chakra to his feet, he scaled the walls and ran silently along the ceiling until he reached the library. He snuck into the room, and it wasn't long until he found the scroll he was looking for. Honestly, if you're going to be the owner of an ancient scroll that holds unknown secrets, it isn't wise to display it for all to see. But then again, the daimyo wasn't very smart, and he did like to brag about his possessions.

He put the scroll in his pouch so that it wouldn't get damaged, and quickly left the library, making his way towards the exit. Suddenly he heard footsteps coming his way, and they were running. Akito jumped up and landed on one of the rafters that held the roof up, watching for the person who was running down the hall. Normally he would just knock them out with a genjutsu or something, but the Hokage had ordered him to be as stealthy as possible. Which meant that he had to just let everybody think that a thief had come in the middle of the night and taken the scroll without a trace.

A servant ran past him and yelled frantically, "My Lord! My Lord! Hanagawa Daisuke is missing!" Something in the man's hand gleamed in the moonlight, and it was then Akito realized it was a knife. So they had meant to kill him had they? It was funny, this pathetic attempt at murder. Especially since he had never even heard of the lord Akito was pretending to be or the land he came from.

Akito soundlessly landed on the floor and snuck down the hallways until he reached a door. He opened it and went inside, closing it without a sound. He heard a sharp intake of breath turned quickly, seeing the servant girl sitting in the middle of her bed, chained to the headboard. Apparently, he had just discovered where she was kept.

Natsumi stared wide eyed at the man, there was only a small light that shown in from the barred window. It was then, when he was alone with her that he felt how massive her chakra reserves were. Especially since she had probably never used it to its potential. Even in the dim light he could see the huge bruise on her jaw. She was dressed differently now, in short black shorts and an extremely short black halter top that exposed her flat stomach. "I'm going to give you three seconds to get out of my room before I scream."

Faster than her eye could see, he was before her with his hand clamped over her mouth. He looked her right in the eyes, and saw hers widen. Leaning closer until his mouth was next to her ear, he said in a low, threatening voice, "If you value your life, you will keep quiet. I have no interest in doing anything to you that is probably running through your mind at this moment."

She reached up with her free hand, since only one was chained to the iron headboard, and pulled his down from her mouth. She was absolutely terrified. She had never seen eyes like that before and her blood felt cold in her veins. "I don't value my life…and besides it's what you all want anyway. Why should I believe you?" she asked harshly, pulling away from him. She didn't like the close proximity, no matter how attractive he was.

He smirked. "You shouldn't really, but as I said at dinner, you aren't my type." He straightened and looked towards the door. He didn't hear any sounds, but it would be best if he left a different way. Then he turned back towards her and saw a window on the other side of the room. It was barred, but he could easily work around that. He went over to it and pulled out an acid-tipped kunai. Running it across the bars, they melted quickly, and then he pulled them out, creating a large hole. He set down the grate of bars and then looked back at Natsumi, and gave her a considering look.

She stared after him, watching how he worked. She hadn't really noticed how perfect his body was beneath all those robes. But now that he was in a tight black outfit, she couldn't help but stare, even if his eyes were staring straight through her. "Well go on." She shooed him off, reaching beneath some of her sheets and pulling up the scroll he had stolen.

He looked at the scroll in her hands and then back at her. "Give me that." He ordered, holding out his hand.

"No." she said stubbornly, holding it closely to her chest.

He walked over to her and placed his hands on the bed so that his face was level with hers. "You really don't have a choice in the matter. Now hand it over." A wave of fear washed over her and she felt an odd compulsion to close her eyes. She followed her instincts and shut them tightly.

"Yes I do. I won't give this to you." She said with as much conviction as she could. She moved her hand behind her and kept her body as a barrier between him and the scroll.

"I can always just take it from you by force you know. I would rather not, because I don't believe in harming women, but I will. I need that scroll for my village." He explained.

A light bulb went off. She opened her eyes and stared straight into his, doing her best to look firm. "Village? Where are you from? Is it far away from here?"

"About five days away. And the sooner I leave this dump the sooner I can get back." He said. He didn't really know why he was telling her this, because she really didn't even need to know. But he couldn't say more, otherwise he would have to kill her. And he would rather avoid doing that.

"Take me with you."

"No."

Her stare turned into a sharp glare. "Take me with you and I will give you the scroll."

"Give me the scroll and I won't kill you." He countered.

"Then do it." She snapped, unable to stop her eyes from watering. "I would rather die than go through with what they have in store for me."

He sighed, but not enough for it to be noticeable. He didn't want to kill her, and he didn't want her to have to go through any of the things they had planned for her. He whipped out his kunai and held it up between them, causing her to stiffen slightly. Then he grabbed her chained hand and sliced through the metal quickly. Before she could react, he picked her up bridal style and walked over to the window. "You're going to want to hold on to me." He said, looking down at her.

"What? Why?" she asked, looking up at him. But before he said anything he jumped out the window getting a loud, terrified yell as she latched onto him as if her life depended on it. Which it did.

He bounded over the high wall surrounding the daimyo's land in one leap and then began to run towards the forest. "Told you you'd want to hold on." He said, smirking down at her. Then he leapt into the trees, running across the branches. They needed to get to his pre-set up camp as soon as possible, so he was travelling as quickly as he could without freaking her out too badly. She had her eyes shut tightly, clinging to him fiercely and curling against him.

She couldn't even believe someone could run this fast, but then again she'd never actually left the confines of the daimyo's mansion. After about an hour of running they came upon a cave. Once they were inside he went to set her down, but found that she hadn't loosened her grip or opened her eyes. "You can let go now, we're far enough away to not get caught." He told her.

She cracked open one of her eyes and peeked around, seeing the cave and how desolate it was. She looked back up at him and then how she was clinging to his body. Slowly, she got down and set her feet on the cold stone. She shivered and a brilliant smile came over her features. She was free, unbound, nothing could ever stop her ever again. "Haha wow!" she exclaimed, running into the cave and splashing in a small left over puddle from the night's previous rain. "It's so cold!" she said to herself. She looked like a small child, discovering things she had never seen before. She walked over to a low stalagmite running her hands up the smooth rock.

"It's just a cave." He said, pulling out a hidden pack that he had place there on his way to the daimyo's.

She glanced back over at him, ignoring his down mood. This was amazing to her, "I've just never seen a cave before."

"Have you seen anything before?" he asked, setting up some wood to make a fire.

"I've never seen anything outside the daimyo's mansion." She said to him as she walked back over to the camp he was setting up. "Well I mean I guess I have…since I don't think I was born there. But I don't remember being anywhere else."

"Hm." Was all he said as he stood. He performed a series of hand signs and then fire shot out of his mouth at the wood, lighting the fire.

"Wow!" she gasped, running up to the fire and studying it, fascination sparkling in her eyes. "That's amazing!"

He just looked at her as he spread out his bedroll. He only had one, so he supposed he would let her sleep in it, out of politeness. It was kind of funny to see her reactions, even though he didn't think it was that big of a deal, since he had learned how to do that jutsu when he was six. "You can have the pallet. I will keep watch."

"Oh I don't sleep." She said, straightening up as if the turn of the conversation made her uncomfortable.

"Well I don't trust you enough to sleep while you stay awake, but if you want to sleep, the pallet is yours." He said.

She arched a delicate brow and crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't trust me? What am I going to do? Kill you in your sleep?"

He deactivated his sharingan and looked at her seriously. "I'm a ninja. I don't trust anyone. And the people I do trust are few, alright? It's nothing against you personally, uh, what was your name?" he asked. "Sumi?"

"That is _not_ my name." she glared, her stance actually looking as if she could attack. He felt something brush against his skin, almost giving it the feel of sand paper.

"Then what is it? Because I'm not going to call you girl the entire trip. Although, I could always come up with something to call you." He gave her a once over and smirked. "Princess, perhaps?"

Her body went completely stiff and the sand around him actually solidified and shot at him, trying to wrap around him. "Don't call me that!" she shrieked, holding her head with her hands, feeling the tears flow. All the terrible memories of the times she was punished flashed through her mind, they had teased her by calling her a princess just in spite. She slumped to her knees, yelling loudly, no longer in the cave with this man. She felt the pain of all the years and tried to get a grip on reality, but she was hyperventilating now. Her sand was lashing around now in a mad furry, just as spastic as its mistress' emotions.

He dodged her lashing sand and made his way towards her. Wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him, he began to rub her arms. "Hey calm down, it was just a joke. I won't call you that ever again. My name is Uchiha Akito." He said soothingly in her ear.

She didn't relax at first, but slowly her sobs died down and she leaned into him. She lifted her hand to her face and started to rub at her eyes, wiping away her tears. "My name is Natsumi…I don't know what my surname is." She finally said, not looking up at him.

"Natsumi…that's a pretty name." he said, brushing some of her hair out of her eyes. He was going out on a limb in trying to comfort her, since he didn't know how to make a woman feel better. If he wanted to cheer up Minako, his only female friend, all he really had to do was buy her some ramen. "Are you hungry?" he asked, not knowing if they fed her when she was held captive.

She glanced up at him, staring into his eyes. They were back to their deep green, she stared into them looking away when she felt that she was invading his comfort zone. "Um…yeah. But I'll be ok. It's only been three days after all." She smiled sadly.

He scowled and stood abruptly, letting go of her. "That is not acceptable. I knew I should have killed that fat lard." He said, moving over to the pack and pulling out some of the food he had brought. He calculated it in his head, and he could give her a lot since they would be near a town soon. He got out some dried fruits and meat and handed them to her. "Here, eat this." He said.

She blinked and looked down at it, then back to him. "Are you sure? This is a lot." She said, pressing her lips tightly together. She didn't want to take his food, no matter how hungry she was.

He snorted. "Natsumi, I'm not like those bastards. You can eat as much as you want. When we come close to a village I will buy us some more food." He told her, placing the rations in her hands.

She nodded and lowered her hands, starting to eat the fruit. It was absolutely delicious and she ate it up more quickly than he would have imagined. She smiled happily once she was finished, making her look even more beautiful than when she had a scowl on her face. "Thank you…I'm um, sorry if I seem hesitant." She looked down and tapped on the cold floor. "It's just…no one has ever been nice to me before…and it's hard to think a man would actually not have an agenda with me." She shrugged.

"Well, it isn't that you're not beautiful, because you are, but I've never been one to take advantage of women. On top of that, I have a mission to complete, so I already have an agenda." He took out his weapons and began to sharpen them then. "You aren't afraid of blood are you?" he asked, looking up at her.

"No, why?" she blinked.

He shrugged. "There's a high probability that we'll run into enemy ninja and I'll have to take them out. It's just easier if you don't throw up every time I kill someone." He explained, continuing to sharpen his kunai.

"I've seen people get killed before. It doesn't really affect me anymore. I'm pretty devoid of emotions." She smiled and went over to the pallet, sitting down and brining her knees to her chest. She stared at the fire and sighed, resting her chin on her knees. "Or at least I know by now how to hide them."

"It's a good trait to have in life, especially mine. Although sometimes you get called an emotionless, heartless bastard." He said, smirking ironically. "But what do they know?"

"Yeah…" she whispered, tapping her fingers on the tops of her feet.

He finished sharpening his weapons and put them away. Then he leaned against the wall and shut his eyes. "You should try to get some rest. We're leaving early in the morning, and I'll probably have to carry you most of the way, at least until we're out of Rock." He said.

She laid down, her back to him and watched the dancing flames. "I haven't slept in eighteen years. What makes you think that that would change now?" she wondered, not really expecting an answer. "Good night." She said, not really wanting to talk anymore.

"Hm." Was all he said, before drifting off. He would stay alert enough even in sleep to know if she did anything suspicious, especially because he wasn't used to being around her and of her large chakra reserves. But he wasn't worried. And, in a few days, he would be home, and she would no longer be his problem.


	4. Exploration

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Four_

-Exploration-

Natsumi sat up and looked around the cave, it was light outside now, but it was still early. She got up quietly and looked over at Akito. When he didn't make a movement or indication he was awake she began to creep towards the mouth of the cave. She stopped when he took in a sharp breath and watched him, seeing the steadying rhythm of his breathing she continued towards the entrance.

She stepped out into the sunlight and gasped running out onto the grass. It felt amazing. She continued into the trees, she'd be right back after all, it wasn't like she was leaving him. He was supposed to take her away from anywhere Ouzin could find her. She laughed and touched the trees, loving the feel of everything. The world was so beautiful and she knew now why she could never imagine it.

Natsumi stopped dead in her tracks when she saw an opening in the forest filled with the most beautiful yellow she had ever seen. She walked forward picking one of the flowers. It was a yellow tulip. She touched the petals with her fingertips, feeling just how delicate they were.

She tensed suddenly, and then there was a dark laughter. She spun around and went wide eyed. "K-Kenzo!" she gasped, stumbling back into the flowers. She tripped back and landed on her behind, still trying to crawl back and create some distance. The strawberry blonde laughed once more and continued towards her.

"Well you've been a bad little girl haven't you? Ouzin was very upset when he found out you were gone." He outstretched his hand and grabbed onto her arm, dragging her up and against him. He held her close and she tried to push away.

"Let me go!" she screamed.

"Haha! I don't think so, you little bitch. See I'm going to punish you real bad this time. You won't ever recover from it." He whispered into her ear, making her go wide eyed. He held her more tightly against him with one of his arms and lowered his other to the hem of her shorts. "To finally feel your body is going to be amazing." He kissed her neck, making her queasy. His hand lowered and she felt tears brimming her eyes.

"Please stop!"

"Yes Kenzo. Stop. Before I get really angry." A voice said. Both Natsumi and Kenzo froze and turned to look in the direction the voice had come from. There stood Akito, glaring, with his arms crossed and feet apart.

Kenzo grimaced, he already had her shorts pulled dangerously low. "I knew it was no coincidence that you vanished along with our prize. Selfish bastard. And I knew the second I saw you that you were an Uchiha. Guess you were better than I suspected. What do you want with this filthy garbage? She's going to be worthless pretty soon. And you Uchiha's only go for the best." He smirked, pulling out and kunai and dragging the sharp metal down her back.

Natsumi wailed, Kenzo threw her back and she fell into the tulips. He pulled out the small katana at his side and walked towards Akito. "I'm not afraid of you kid."

Akito smirked darkly as his eyes bled to red. "That's your first mistake." He said, disappearing and appearing right in front of the other man. Before he could raise his sword Akito grabbed him around the neck with one hand and held him still as he was dragged into a genjutsu. Kenzo stopped moving, and then began to scream as his mind was being tortured. He dropped the strawberry blonde on the ground and pulled out a kunai, embedding it in his neck. "You should not touch an unwilling woman. It's rude." He said as he looked in the dying man's eyes. He twisted the kunai, causing blood to spurt out as he died. Once assured he was dead, Akito took out the kunai and wiped it off on the grass, placing it back in his holster. He walked over to Natsumi and squat next to her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She was sitting up by now, her arm was wrapped around her torso and pressing onto her back. She glanced up at him and she was trying not to cry. She pulled her hand from her back and looked at her blood soaked hand. "…Yeah…" she sniffed, wiping away a stray tear that fell, smearing her crimson blood on her cheek.

He sighed and picked her up, taking her to a nearby stream that he had found on his trip before. He sat her down next to the bank and then looked at her back. It wasn't too bad, but it would need to be bandaged. "Stay here, I'll be right back." he ordered, running back to the cave to get his pack. He returned shortly and placed it on the ground. He squat next to her once more and looked into her eyes, his own green once more. "I promise not to look or try anything, but I need you to take off your shirt so that I can clean and bandage your back. Is that okay?" he asked, softening his voice in order to lessen her fear.

She tensed immediately, looking off. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before grabbing the hem of her shirt and pulling it off quickly, but making sure she didn't get blood on it. She set it aside and opened her eyes, not looking up to see if he was keeping his word or not. After this, she could at least give him the benefit of the doubt. And she didn't really care if he saw. She was raised to believe her body was for the eyes of men. Just as long as he didn't try anything.

True to his word, Akito didn't spare a glance at her chest. Not that it wasn't difficult, because it was. He idly noted that when they hit the next village he was going to need to take her shopping for some bare essentials. More modest clothes for one, and the proper undergarments. He took out a cloth and wet it, wiping away the blood as gently as he could. Once the wound was clean he took out a healing cream and rubbed it on the cut. Then he took out a roll of gauze. "Raise your arms." He ordered. She did as he told her and lifted both her arms. It was weird being tended to and taken care of.

Carefully, so as not to accidentally touch her, he wrapped the gauze around her torso. He had to lean in close to her and look over her shoulder in order to make sure he did it right, but he didn't let his gaze linger or his actions falter. He refused to be like those other men. "You should not have left the cave." He reprimanded as he bandaged her.

"I'm sorry." She said, looking down. Once more it was her fault. "I just can't seem to do anything right. Please forgive me, I'll behave." Natsumi responded automatically.

"I'm not angry. It isn't your fault, after all you didn't know." He told her. "But it would be easier to protect you if you didn't run off. People are going to be looking for you, you know. And I don't want you to get hurt." He said, tying the gauze off. "There, I'm done. Did I tie it too tightly?" he asked, facing away so that she could dress.

"It's fine." She grabbed her shirt and pulled it back on, tying it behind her neck. "So…" she turned around, facing him, resting her palms on the grass. "You're really strong."

He turned back to her with a raised brow. "Did you expect anything less? I'm one of the best ninja in the world.

"Well…I don't really know a lot about the world so…" she trailed off, looking nervous. "I don't know. I was hoping maybe you could teach me some things so I wouldn't be so much a liability to you. I feel that I might get on your nerves if you have to protect me all the time."

He gave her a considering look. "Yeah, I can teach you a few things. But not until we are a safe distance from the Daimyo. I don't want to be in this godforsaken country any longer than necessary." He stood then, picked up his pack, and offered his hand down to her. "Come. We must be heading out. There's a village a ways away, and when we get there I will get us a room at the Inn and we can go buy you some new clothes."

She took his hand and he helped her up, "What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?"

"First off, you don't have any undergarments on. Second, your clothes reveal more skin than is necessary, and draws attention, which we don't need. You're going to want to be comfortable as we travel, and you'll also want some sleepwear." He said.

"But I am comfortable." She said, following him as he started to walk off. "And what are undergarments?"

He stopped and looked at her. This was really uncomfortable. "You know…a bra. And underwear."

"You're not really getting the whole 'Been in that house my entire life thing' are you?" she crossed her arms and gave him an annoyed look. "I don't know what those are. So you're going to have to elaborate a little more."

A blush actually made its way to his face, causing his cheeks to turn a light pink. "Well, underwear is kind of like your shorts, only no legs." He said, showing her where they would cut off. "And a bra is something girls wear underneath their shirts and stuff to cover their breasts." At the blank look he was receiving he realized he would have to elaborate even more than he already had. "It…supports them and makes them look…nice."

"I knew it!" she pointed an accusing finger at him. "Make them look nice? For what?" she glared, already on the defensive.

He glared back at her. "So that they don't flap everywhere when you walk! It keeps them contained somewhat! And when your nipples get hard, it isn't so obvious to the rest of the world! God!" he said, not caring any more about embarrassment. If she was going to be like this the entire time, he was going to go crazy. "It's what society does, because it's what's proper." He rubbed the bridge of his nose, beyond tired of the chosen subject.

She huffed up and poked him hard in the chest. "Well _excuse_ me for not knowing what is proper. I was brought up to be a sex slave! So stop yelling at me!" she shouted, stomping past him and walking off, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't understand these undergarments. But she supposed she would just have to trust him about the matter.

He caught up to her and stopped when he was in front of her. "Listen, I understand that, but you don't have to go accuse me of having some type of ulterior motive concerning you and sex every ten minutes. If I wanted you badly enough, I could have you without forcing you in any way. _You_ would be the one coming to _me_." He said, pointing from her to himself.

She arched a delicate brow and actually laughed. "Oh really?" she moved her hands then and placed them on her hips. She gave him a once over and made sure her face didn't betray what she really thought. "Please, you aren't _that_ attractive." She lied.

He smirked, seeing through her lie quickly. It didn't matter what she said, he knew he was attractive and that every woman thought so. It was part of being an Uchiha. "Do you really believe that?" he asked, stepping towards her and tracing her jaw with one finger. He leaned until his face was just an inch from hers, and he could feel her breath on his lips. "Who are you trying to convince Natsumi? Me? Or yourself?" before she could answer he turned and began to walk away. "Regardless, you aren't my type." He said over his shoulder.

Her jaw dropped and she stared at his back. She ran after him, fuming. "Not your type?" she huffed. "If I wasn't your type you wouldn't look at me the way you do." She caught up to him and walked by his side, hitting him in the arm.

"Just because I don't feel the need to pursue you doesn't mean I won't appreciate what you willingly show." He said, smiling slightly at her. She was a lot of fun to mess with. It seemed he found a new hobby.

"I don't _willing_ show." She crossed her arms once more and looked off. "It was either what they gave me or walking around naked." She sighed then, deciding to give up on the matter. Even though the thought of someone actually trying to pursue her instead of just taking what they wanted excited her. Maybe she really wasn't his type. She tapped at her lips deep in thought, after all she didn't really know whose type she was. She hadn't come in contact with many man outside the daimyo and his closest friends.

"Perhaps you don't. But why would you be so upset that I am not after you in such a way? Unless you want me to give you my affections." He teased with a small smile, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her against him so that they were now walking side by side. Literally.

She pursed her lips together in a pout, looking away from him despite their close contact. "Not so much you as it would be nice for once if someone just wanted to like me for reasons other than getting to have sex with me, or touch my body." She looked down then. "I don't know. I'm not exactly sure what like or anything of the sort is. I don't want to be told I'm pretty, I know I am…whatever I'm sorry. I'm just blabbering on now. Just ignore me." She waved a hand in the air dismissively and looked off into the trees.

"Then I promise not to touch you in any intimate way the entire trip, unless you ask me. That way, you can try and get me to like the real you. How does that sound?" he asked, lowering his arm.

She looked down at his arm and then quickly away. She couldn't say now it was ok for him to have a hold on her like that. It was comforting, something she had never felt from a man before. "That sounds like a terrible plan that would just work for your entertainment. After all, isn't a man supposed to go after a woman? Why would I ever try and _make_ you like me? I've got a better idea." She smirked, stopping and grabbing onto his arm to stop him. "As we go on our journey you will tell me things about you and I will tell you things about me. And spend time together and then we'll see if I actually like you." She snickered, sauntering off with a sway to her hips.

He caught up to her once more, and for once had a real smile on his face. "Fine. Then I will start by saying that I hardly ever smile or joke around, so you should feel accomplished right now." She smiled back and laced her fingers together.

"I've never trusted a man with my shirt off before and I think you're very handsome." She said with a small laugh.

"You shine like the sun when you smile. It's stunning." He admitted.

She stopped dead in her tracks and stared wide eyed at him, a look of pure innocence covering her face. "…You're the first person who ever made me smile…"

He stopped and gave her a serious look. "I'm glad then." She stared at him for a long while, another smile gracing her features. She stepped up to him and took his hand.

"Um, my favorite colors are red and pink. I'm not sure why. I just remember them being warm. That's kind of an odd thing to say about a color isn't it." She laughed, scratching the back of her head.

"No it isn't. I like black because it is like a shadow. It can hide things really well, like emotions and thoughts, and can make you feel safe when you don't want to be found." He said.

"Black makes me think of depressing things…unless of course we're talking your clothes." She pulled at his tight shirt, unable to hide the blush that spread across her face when she accidently touched his hard abs.

He smirked. "Then you might as well say that cream is a good color, because it's much more impressive without clothing." He said, knowing that she understood he was talking about his toned stomach.

"Well…" she huffed, retracting her hand, unable to get the heat to leave her cheeks. "I think that's enough for our agreement today. I would like to bathe. So take me to this town, or whatever it is that it's called." She looked back over at him, keeping her eyes on his, but he didn't miss the second her pale jade darted down and then back up.

"As you wish." He said with a sly look. Then he quickly scooped her up in his arms and jumped into the trees, causing her to let out a startled scream as he travelled quickly towards the town. "What? You asked for it." He said by way of explanation when he saw the look she was giving him.

She glared at him, but clung to his shirt tightly. "You could at least warn me next time." She scolded, resting her head on his shoulder and looking ahead. It felt great to be going so fast. Like nothing could catch them. She wondered idly, "What's it like to be a ninja?"

He considered her question for a moment. "It can be tedious at times, always having to do things for other people and solve their problems, but for the most part, it's amazing. Not every ninja is as fast as I am, but I love feeling like I'm flying through the trees. You can leap really far and really high, and do all kinds of cool things. And at the end of the day, people respect you for what you do, and how strong you are." He looked down at her then. "I'm sure if you weren't held captive you would have been a ninja. Your sand defense is a type of ninjutsu you know."

She stared up at him, blinking. "Nin-what-su?"

"Ninjutsu. Like with the fire that I made last night. It requires chakra to do, and hand signs, but yours is a type that can be controlled by you alone, without the need for them. From what I have observed, your sand is controlled mostly by your emotions. I can try to help teach you how to better control that as well, but since I do not possess a gift such as that, there is little that I can teach you. If you want." He offered.

She looked even more confused. "What sand defense?"

"Have you never noticed how sometimes when those men would try to hit you but didn't?" he asked.

She thought for a moment and shook her head, "Well yes, but I thought they were just trying to psych me out."

"It was because a wall of sand stopped them. And last night, in the cave, tendrils of sand appeared when I asked you what I should call you. The sand belongs to you Natsumi, it is a part of you. It responds usually when you are feeling extreme emotions, like when you are scared or are in danger." He told her.

"Oh." She studied his shirt. "That would make sense I guess, since when I feel strongly I get all tingly. It kinda feels like my energy is going elsewhere." She shrugged, she had just never thought she was anything special before. It was hard to believe she had a power that could make her a ninja. "But yes, I would like to know. But first I think self-defense would be fine." Natsumi smiled.

"Definitely. I'll teach you as much as I can in self-defense, which is also a form of taijutsu. Taijutsu is just a fancy word for physical fighting." He explained. She nodded, showing she at least knew a little about what he was talking about.

They stopped shortly for lunch, and then were back on their way to the village. It was dusk by the time they got there, and before entering, Akito set Natsumi down and gave her a serious look. "Don't stray from my side. We are going to go straight to the Inn, and do our shopping tomorrow. Okay?" he asked.

"Yes, yes." She waved him off, walking ahead. "I promised I would behave didn't I?" she glanced back at him, setting her hands on her hips. Nearly every head turned in her direction as she passed, mostly from men who didn't dare to hide their lustful stares.

Akito caught up to her and grabbed her hand, glaring at the men as he dragged her to the Inn. After checking in and getting the room key, he took her upstairs to their room. It wasn't anything fancy, but to Natsumi, who had never seen one, it was elegant. It had a large, queen-sized bed in the center, and two nightstands. Along with a large bay window and a chair sitting between it and the fireplace. On the other side of the room was the door to the bathroom.

"Wow!" she gasped, running around the room and taking in every little thing. She walked over to the window and leaned looking down at the streets. "This is so amazing! People! And no bars!" she pushed open the window and waved to a few villagers. "Hello!"

He shut the door and took her away from the window, shutting it. "I know you're excited, but you have to remember that I'm a ninja. And a well-known one at that. You can't draw any unnecessary attention to us." He said. Then he turned her around and pushed her towards the bathroom. "Why don't you wash up while I grab us something to eat, alright?"

"You're leaving me by myself?" she stared at him wide eyed, staying in the doorway to the bathroom.

"I'll only be gone for a little while, and the room has a lock on the door." He assured her. Then he pulled a kunai out of his pouch and held it out to her. "Here, use this to defend yourself should anyone come into the room." She took it from him and examined the sharp point.

"Ok."

He nodded and turned towards the door. "I'll be back." He said over his shoulder and left the room, locking it behind him. She sighed and looked around the room before going into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. It was odd, being alone. She pulled the tie around her neck and undressed quickly. She started the shower and got in, relishing the hot water.

She scrubbed her body, wincing when she got to her abdomen. She looked down and poked at the dark purple bruises. They had always seemed to hit her in just the right places so that it wouldn't show no matter what she wore. She took her time getting all the dirt off and scrubbing her hair till she was satisfied that she was clean.

She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing one of the fluffy white towels hanging on the wall. She dried her hair and then wrapped it around her body. She froze then, hearing something. She leaned closer to the door and went wide eyed. It was definitely a person. She looked at the counter and at the kunai sitting near the sink. She grabbed it and tried to steel her nerves.

Natsumi took a deep breath and threw the door open, shutting her eyes and running at the figure who was facing away from her near the bed. "Die!"

Out of reflex, Akito turned and grabbed her by the waist, flipping her onto the mattress and straddling her waist so that he could hold her down. When he saw who it was he smirked, deactivating his sharingan. "Oh, it's just you." He said, remaining in his position over her.

She stared up at him, absolutely horrified. "Sorry…" she blinked and then went a dark cherry red. "Please get off me." She asked breathlessly, looking up so she wouldn't draw his attention to her exposed body. The quick movement had caused her towel to fall off.

He nodded and stood, facing away from her to save her the embarrassment. He had seen her exposed flesh in the struggle, but would not comment on it. Her body was even more perfect than he had imagined, but on top of that, he had seen the bruises, and they made him angry. "I brought you some food." He said, gesturing to the small table in the room that was completely covered in various exotic foods. He didn't know what she liked, or even if she had tried many of them, so he bought a little of everything.

She covered her body, and hurried back to the bathroom, pulling on her only change of clothes. She came back out and looked up at him, "Um thank you." She poked her fingers together and then looked at the food. "Please, you must be hungry too. Help yourself."

"Natsumi, it is impolite for me to begin to eat before my guest. On top of that, I was raised to believe that women receive certain courtesies. So, ladies first." He said, bowing slightly with his arms open to show her that he wouldn't eat until she did.

She stared at him oddly, not really sure if it was ok for her to get something first. "If you say so…" she grabbed one of the plates he had gotten and piled some fruit on. It was weird to eat before a man, since she was the one usually serving it. She got some of everything and sat down on the bed crossing her legs and beginning to eat. "You know…Uchiha sounds really familiar…but I don't know where I've heard it mentioned before."

He filled his plate as well and then poured her a glass of water. "Probably a mention of my father. He's pretty famous, for many things." He said, handing her the glass. Then he began to pour himself one.

She took a long gulp and stuffed her face, not bothering to hide how hungry she was. He sat down and began to eat as well, but for the most part he just watched her. "You know, the food isn't going anywhere." He teased, smiling slightly at her.

She stopped and looked at him with a small blush on her face. "I don't need to explain myself to you. So I'm hungry. Bite me." She stuck her tongue out at him in a taunting manner.

He sat down his plate and leaned forward so that his face was a mere inch from hers. "Is that an invitation?" he asked, raising a brow.

Natsumi leaned a bit away, feeling the heat on her cheeks only grow. "No…well, I can see how it sounded like it but no." she shut her eyes and pushed his face away from hers but didn't move her hands from his smooth face.

He chuckled and sat back, picking up his plate and resuming eating. "I was only teasing you Natsumi." He said, taking a drink of his water.

"Something you seem to do a lot." She pointed out continuing to eat as well. The rest of the meal was silent, but it wasn't awkward.

When they finished he took her plate and sat it on the table. Then he went into the bathroom and shut the door, intent on taking a shower. Natsumi stood from the bed and began to inspect the room, having not had a chance to look around it completely before. A while later the bathroom door opened, and out stepped Akito, wearing nothing but a towel that hung low on his hips.

She turned around when he came into the main part of the room and stared in awe. Never before had she actually been attracted to a man's body before. It was so beautifully sculpted and every line of his body just screamed at her to press herself against him. She shook her head and looked off, or at least tried to, scratching her head. "Well, it's pretty late. Are you going to go to sleep soon, cause I was just wondering when I was going to have to get into bed."

He pulled out some sleeping pants and walked back into the bathroom, but left the door open. "You can go to sleep whenever, you didn't have to wait for me." He said, reemerging in a pair of loose black bottoms and rubbing his head with his towel in an attempt to dry it somewhat.

"I don't sleep remember."

He pulled back the covers and got in, lying on his back. "Hm. Well you don't have to get in the bed with me if it makes you uncomfortable."

She rolled her eyes, and walked to the other side of the bed and pulled the covers back. She wanted to rest her body as well and be comfortable while she did so. "Yeah because _now_ would be the situation I am uncomfortable with." She rolled her eyes, and laid down, snuggling in the soft sheets. "Ah."

"Goodnight Natsumi." He said, shutting his eyes.

"Nighty night Akito." She smiled.


	5. Shopping

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Five_

-Shopping-

Akito moved a bit, lifting one of his hands and rubbing at one of his eyes. "I guess I was sorer than I thought." He said to himself, opening his eyes and yelling out in surprise when he was met with Natsumi's brilliant jade. He shot back and fell out of the bed, dragging the sheets with him. Natsumi gasped and sat up, crawling to the edge of his bed and looking down at him. He grabbed the sheets and ripped them off his head. "What the hell?"

"What?" she asked innocently.

"What do you mean, 'What?'?" he glared, grabbing onto the bed side and standing up. "Why were you staring at me while I was sleeping?"

She blinked and moved back, looking a bit afraid. "I'm sorry, it was just the only thing I had to do and I'd never seen someone sleep before." She admitted shyly, trying not to look too intimidated by his tone, but her whole body was rigid.

He wiped his hand down his face and let out a sigh. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you, but you can't just watch people while they sleep. It's kind of creepy, and you scared the hell out of me." He said.

She looked down in shame, pulling at the sheets. "Sorry…I guess I just got bored and you looked so peaceful…I didn't mean to scare you, or seem creepy."

Akito walked up to her and gently grasped her chin, lifting her face towards his. "Hey, don't get upset. You can watch me sleep whenever you want, now that I know you will." He reassured, smiling slightly at her. He didn't like seeing her looking sad.

A soft pink flushed her cheeks as she stared into his forest green eyes. "Ok," she replied softly. She'd seen him kill Kenzo and yet, he was so tender. "So what are we doing today?"

"Well, after I get dressed, we're going to go buy you some clothes. Like we talked about yesterday." He said, pulling down his pajama bottoms and grabbing his pants, sliding them on over his black boxers. Then he put on his shirt and placed his clothes back in his bag, throwing it over his shoulder. "So, how about we go out for breakfast?" he asked, looking over at her.

"Can I get some new clothes first? I mean I've been wearing these for like two days now." She frowned, tugging at her shirt.

"Of course." He said. "Ready?"

She nodded and got up, following him out of the room. They headed down the streets, Natsumi was looking around at all the shops, completely oblivious to the looks she was getting from both men and women. A couple of elder women started whispering to one another about something along the lines of wondering why a lady of the evening was out in the day time. A couple of guys with dirty blonde hair walked up behind Natsumi as she was staring in one of the windows.

"Hey there you pretty little thing. We haven't seen you around, so you must be new." The taller of the two smirked. The other leaned against the wall, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"We could always show you around. We know lots of things." He winked.

Natsumi stared up at them, not really knowing what to do. "Um, no thanks. I'm good."

Akito grabbed the hand on her shoulder and squeezed it painfully, lifting it off of her flesh. "She already has someone showing her around, so you can just move along." He said, glaring threateningly at the boys.

They both went wide eyed at the flash of crimson and moved away as quickly as possible. Natsumi looked up at him and smiled. "Well they were nice."

He grabbed the top of her arm and walked her towards a shop for women. "No Natsumi, they weren't. They were going to take you off and have their way with you, that's what they meant by the fact that they could show you lots of things. It was a sexual connotation." He said as they entered the shop.

"Oh." She blinked and tried to keep pace with him. "Sorry." She mumbled, shivering a bit from the thought. Men outside were so much craftier than the daimyo's house.

They walked up to a display of bras and Akito nodded to them. "Those are bras." He said. "I don't suppose you know what size you are, do you?" he asked, giving her an unsure look.

"What do you need a size for?" she looked at him oddly.

"You know, the size of your breasts." He said.

She glanced down and placed her hands beneath her bust. She pushed them up a bit and shrugged, "I don't know. What do you think? You know more about it than I do."

He leaned closer to her and scrutinized her breasts. "Hm." He said, squinting his eyes. Then he stood and looked through the rack. He pulled out a plain black bra and held it out to her. "Here, try putting this one on in the fitting room and see how it fits."

She took it and then followed him to the dressing rooms. He pulled back the curtain and let her go in by herself. She stared at the odd piece of clothing and messed with it a bit before giving up on her attempts to get it on. She poked her head out and looked around for him. "Akito…" she called softly.

"What is it? Does it fit?" he asked, having stood around the corner waiting for her.

"I don't know…I don't know how to put it on…" she admitted, blushing slightly.

His eyes widened. "Uh…okay. Do you…need me to help you?" he asked, a light pink tinting his cheeks.

She nodded, and allowed him into the dressing room, closing the curtain behind him. "Ok." She faced him and held the bra up. "How do I put it on?"

"Okay, first you need to take your shirt off, since it goes underneath your clothes." He said.

She grabbed onto the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head, tossing it to the side. She moved her hands over her chest to hide them at least a little. "Alright. What next?"

"Next put your arms through the two straps." He said, holding up the bra so that she could put her arms through. It was difficult not to stare at her perfect breasts, but somehow he managed. Someone up there either hated him or was a sadistic bastard, to let a completely innocent yet sexy woman land in his lap, and know that he was too nice to not take advantage of the situation.

She did as he instructed and put her arms through the straps, seeing how the fabric formed around her breasts and held them in place. It made sense now and it did look pretty nice. "Ok." She smiled holding it in place, since she hadn't clipped it in the back.

"Turn around and I'll clasp it. You can practice putting them on when we get back to the room." He said, motioning for her to do so. She turned her back to him and looked into the mirror, watching his face as he clipped it. She could see the small pink on his cheeks.

"Are you nervous?" she asked with a small giggle.

He glared up at her lightly. "No, but you have no idea how difficult it is to be a gentleman around you." He lowered his arms and looked at her. "I think this one fits. What about you? Is it comfortable?"

"Yeah it's comfortable." She poked at it and looked at herself in the mirror. "I like it and I can see what you mean." She finally faced him once more. "How many am I getting? Cause' I want prettier ones. This one is so basic." She tapped her chin and laughed. "Maybe some with lace. Black with red trim. Oh some black and white, or red and pink."

He could picture the bras she was listing, with her wearing them, and with her taking them off. Groaning, he hit his head against the wall of the dressing room. "Get as many as you want, it's my treat. And don't forget to pick out some underwear. I'm guessing you're a small based on your tiny waist." He said, looking at her sideways.

"They'll have to match." She said, mostly to herself, almost running out of the dressing room in her excitement.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he grabbed her arm and pulled her back, making her fall against him. She stared up at him, her chest pressed against his. "You can't just run out there in nothing but a bra. Put your shirt on."

"Oh." She blinked and pulled away from him, quickly putting her shirt on and tying it around her neck.

He shook his head and they left the dressing room together. She picked out various bras with matching bottoms, asking his opinion on each set. She had never been shopping for herself before, and therefore wanting to check to make sure what she was getting looked good. When she finished, she had enough to last her about two weeks, but Akito didn't care. He just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. They paid for the clothes and left, with Natsumi still wearing the black bra.

They went down the street to a clothing store, filled with all sorts of outfits. "Okay, just pick something out that you can wear as we travel, and something to sleep in. We need to leave early in the morning in order for me to make it back to the village on time." He said, although it was a lie. Because his mission was one of infiltration and disguise, he had no set time limit. He just didn't like to be gone long, and the sooner they got to the village the sooner he wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. He could just send a message to Suna and be done with it, and at the same time be made a hero in everyone's eyes. It was full proof.

She looked around for a while, finding things she liked. She tended to be staying with the black shorts, but got a variety of shirts that were also black. Everything she got was far more suitable than what she had on. When she was finished she walked with him to the register and watched him pay, in pure fascination.

They finally left the store, with Akito carrying all the bags, and started out to the streets. "Now can we get some breakfast? I'm really hungry. Or should we go back to the room and put all this stuff up and so I can change. Cause' I'm still not wearing any…um…what do you call it? Underwear?"

Nearly every gaze focused on them, having overheard the loud pink haired beauty. He held in a groan. He really didn't need to deal with this right now. Placing all of the bags in one arm, he wrapped his free one around her waist and pulled her to him. Then he quickly performed a series of hand signs, teleporting them to the hotel room in a quick puff of smoke. "Change into some other clothes, and then we will just go get some lunch, since we took so long shopping." He said, letting go of her and moving to put the bags down.

She nodded and searched through the bags, pulling out what she wanted and heading into the bathroom. Shortly after she emerged, only wearing her bra and underwear. "Well what do you think? Does it look okay on me? I wanted to see what you'd say before I put the other stuff on." She turned around, giving him a full view, but keeping her hands over her bruises. She had on black lacey undergarments with a soft pink trim, along with a few ribbon bows and a matching bra.

Akito's eyes widened and he openly stared at her, since he had permission to. He shook his head slightly and nodded. "They look good on you." He said, somehow managing to keep his tone even. He had a feeling that cold showers were going to become a normal part of his routine now.

She smiled brightly and went back into the bathroom getting dressed. She came back out, this time fully clothed, which did nothing to hide her figure. She had on short black shorts and a tight black shirt with sleeves that stopped just after her elbows. "And this looks good too? I don't think I've ever had my breasts so covered before." She laughed. She picked up the shoes he had gotten her and pulled them on. They were knee high ninja shoes, and good for traveling.

"Natsumi, I highly doubt anything you put on your body could look bad." It was the truth, she was just so beautiful and so flawless it would be next to impossible.

She blushed a dark red and twiddled with her fingers nervously. "Thank you." There was a long pause then until they both heard her stomach growl. Her face went an even darker. "Heh, I guess I'm really hungry."

He smiled and took her hand. "Come on, I know a nice restaurant where we can eat." He said, taking her outside. They stopped in front of a quaint little café type place and went inside. He walked straight back to a booth, and waited for her to sit down before doing so himself. Then the waiter came by and they ordered their drinks. "So what are you going to get?" he asked, perusing his menu.

She stared at him in disbelief. "You mean I can pick anything?"

"Anything you want. We can even get dessert afterwards if you want. They make really good chocolate cake here." He said.

Her eyes sparkled, vibrant with happiness. She opened up the menu and read through the options trying to decide what she wanted. Their waitress walked up, setting their drinks down. She pulled out her notepad and then finally took a good look at her guests. Her eyes focused on Akito instantly and her bored look was replaced with a sly one. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Uchiha Akito." She purred, biting down on the end of her pencil. He was absolutely yummy. "Odd to see such a handsome man in a little town like this."

Natsumi blinked and looked up at the woman and then down at Akito. The look the woman was giving him was different than she saw him receive by the Inn keeper. The older woman was kind and nice. But there was something uncomfortable about this. She cleared her throat getting the blonde's attention. "Excuse me, but what are pancakes?" she asked.

The waitress frowned, looking annoyed. "Are you kidding me? What are you stupid?"

The pink haired woman just stared at her feeling self-conscious now. Akito glared at her. "Rika, answer her question, its part of your job as a waitress to tell the customers about the food served in the establishment you work at. Or have you forgotten?" he asked, his tone harsh. He personally thought Natsumi's ignorance was kind of cute, though he would never admit it aloud.

"But who doesn't know what a pancake is?" she countered. It just didn't make any sense. She studied the girl and it was like a light bulb went off. All beauty and no brains. She sighed. "It's flat and soft and made from batter." She snapped actually making Natsumi glare at her. She really didn't like this other woman's attitude.

Akito looked at Natsumi. "A pancake is made from a batter, and is flat. It's hot and soft, relatively easy to eat. You can put butter and syrup on them. It's like bread, only sweet." He elaborated.

"Oh." She nodded and looked up at the woman. "Well I'll have that and lots and lots of bacon." She smiled. Rita rolled her eyes and wrote it down, turning to Akito with a far too friendly smile.

"And what do you _want_?" she winked.

He ignored her and looked at his menu. "I want a cheese omelet with green peppers and ham. Sausage and hash browns as a side, and some cheese sprinkled on the top." He said, folding his menu. He took Natsumi's and held them out to the woman. She grabbed them both after writing it down and flashed Natsumi a glare.

"Well, if you ever get tired of ditzy. I get off at eight." She smirked and walked off, swaying her hips.

Natsumi pursed her lips together and stared after her. "Did she just call me ditzy?"

"Just ignore her." He said, taking a drink of his water. "So, what _did_ you eat while you were stuck at the Daimyo's?" he wondered, since most foods it seemed she had never had before.

She looked back at him and shrugged. "Just fruit and vegetables. Some meat every now and then, being too skinny is bad after all. Other than that, nothing really. Master Ouzin…I mean…" she stopped and took a deep breath. "Daimyo Ouzin wasn't one for fancy food, he just liked plain and meat."

"Hn, that's because he was a cheap bastard. You know, I'm surprised you were forced to stay with him for so long and he hadn't touched you sooner." He commented. "But I suppose it all worked out for the best. Now you're free, and get to hang out with this handsome devil all the time." He said with a cocky smirk, leaning back in his chair.

She smiled, laughing. "Well…he couldn't decide whether or not he wanted to sell me to the highest bidder."

"It's a shame my mission didn't include killing him, because I would have done so gladly." He looked out the window and watched some of the villagers walk by then. "I like to teach some of the village kids how to throw kunai sometimes, because they look up to me and think I'm the coolest person in the world." He said. He figured now they could take more time to get to know one another, and that was the first thing that had popped into his head to tell her. He didn't want her to think he was a complete asshole after all.

"I bet they do." She smiled, showing no sarcasm. "They probably think you're some kind of super hero or something."

"They practically worship me. But I like helping them out in my free time. They're good kids."

The waitress came back and set their food down, not even bothering with a word this time. Natsumi smiled and started to cut into her pancakes as Akito began to eat his own. After a while of silence she spun her fork around on her plate. "I think white lilies are really pretty."

He looked up at her and stored that information away for later use. "I like to get up early to see the sun rise."

She smiled. She could tell he liked to get up early. "I used to wish that I was the moon."

"Why?"

"Because it was pretty and out of reach and never bound to one place." She explained hurriedly, as if it were embarrassing to talk about her inner feelings.

"And surrounded by stars so it was always in good company and never alone?" he asked, and then nodded. "I understand. I used to wish that I was a bird. But the closest I ever got to that was having them as a summons."

She looked a bit confused. "I always thought the moon looked lonely…I honestly never thought I would ever leave that place and meet anyone new."

"Perhaps it is, since the stars are so far away from it. But every once in a while one shoots by, and says hi. Then it's not so lonely anymore. And it's depended on by many things, illuminating even the darkest corners of the world." He said.

She gave him a sad smile and looked off. "When I first saw you, something inside me seemed to get…hopeful."

"When I first saw you, I wished I could take you away from there, because you reminded me of a beautiful flower. One that is plucked and shoved in a vase for all to see. Eventually that flower begins to wilt, and I wanted to be the one to bring life back to it." He stopped, realizing how corny he sounded. "Looks like I got my wish." He said, beginning to push the rest of his food around his plate in slight embarrassment.

Her mouth was a bit agape. "You…think I'm a flower?" she asked, she just wasn't used to these types of compliments. They weren't aimed at her body or anything sexual. They were just warming. "You know, I think I'm beginning to understand you a little more Akito." She giggled, smiling brightly, as if she had the biggest secret in the world.

He looked up and raised a brow at her. "How so?" he liked to think that he was difficult to read, which to most people he was, unless you had known him for a long time.

"If I'm off please don't be upset. I intend no malice with this." She held her hands up in defense and laughed. "But at first you were difficult to read, but I think…I think that the only one who can understand you is someone innocent. To where you have to show your caring side. Because I know that I am not easy to deal with in my lack of knowledge. Yet you've been nothing but kind. I think maybe you wanted something of your own to protect and care for." She said and then went wide eyed. "Not that I'm saying you want me for your own or anything or that you deeply care. You could just be being nice. I didn't mean it that way I promise. I wasn't assuming." She rubbed the back of her head then, looking nervous.

He just stared at her for a few moments, his face showing slightly veiled surprise. He thought about what she had said, and realized the truth in her words. That was one of the reasons he taught the children after all, was because they were still innocent. They just weren't his. But Natsumi could be. "No…I think you're right." He said after a while. "Plus, I don't want to make you cry or anything, so I try to avoid being mean so that you won't get your feelings hurt." He said, scratching the side of his neck to hide his embarrassment.

She laughed, trying her best not to be awkward. "Well I'm glad that I could, um, help I guess?" she shrugged and stuffed her mouth full of pancakes once more to silence herself before she could say anything stupid. When she swallowed she focused on him reluctantly and smiled. "Well I'm full, you want to leave now?"

"Yes, we just have to wait for the bill." He told her. Shortly after that their waitress returned.

"Are you finished?" she asked, ignoring Natsumi and keeping her gaze on Akito. His own hardened at her blatant show of rudeness and disrespect.

"Yes. Get the check." He ordered. She did as she was told and came back, giving Akito one last sultry smile.

"Come back soon Akito. When you're alone. I will be better able to service you then." Rika said, walking away with an exaggerated sway to her hips. Akito rolled his eyes and threw a few bills on the table, not caring enough to wait for change to be brought back.

"Let's go." He said to Natsumi, standing. She got up as well and pushed in her chair.

"Well she was awfully friendly." She smiled.

He raised a brow at her. "Hn." He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her out of the restaurant and back into the street. "Would you like to start learning self-defense today?" he asked as they walked around the village.

She laced her fingers together and smiled brightly. "Oh yes that would be wonderful!" she said, looking off and slowing her pace when she spotted a couple. They were coming out of a flower shop and the girl was holding a blue flower. The girl looked up at the boy and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his. Natsumi blinked and studied them a bit more, "What are they doing?"

Akito followed her gaze and spotted the couple. "Hugging." He said simply.

"What's that?" she asked curiously, looking up at him.

"Well, it's what people do to show affection. Kind of like kissing, but less intimate." He explained.

She nodded, seeming like she understood. Until, "What's kissing?"

"You know, when someone presses their lips against someone else's, or their skin."

She arched a delicate brow and shook her head. "No, I've never seen someone do that before."

"Oh, well I could show you, if you want." He offered, successfully repressing his blush.

"Oh yes please." She faced him fully, bubbling with excitement at the prospect of trying new things.

He turned and faced her fully, giving her a serious look. "Do you want a real kiss, or an almost real kiss?" he asked.

"Both?" she looked a bit confused. "What's better?"

He sighed. "We'll just do both."

"Yes!" she cheered, moving closer to him and waiting patiently. "Ok, I'm ready."

He gently grasped her chin and leaned down, kissing her forehead. When he pulled away he gave her a searching look. "That was an almost kiss." He said.

She giggled, a small pink coming to her cheeks. "That made my stomach flutter, like butterflies."

He smiled. "This, is a real kiss." He told her, tilting her chin up and leaning down once more. He kissed her softly, relishing in the feel of her plump lips against his. He should feel guilty in taking advantage of her this way, but he didn't. He pulled away only when it became necessary to breathe. She slowly opened her eyes, which had closed when his lips touched hers. Her legs felt flimsy and the fluttering feeling in her stomach was even worse than before.

"Wow, and you do this to anyone? To show affection? Does it always feel like that?" she touched her fingers to her lips, still feeling tingly from his own.

He shook his head. "No, you don't kiss just anyone. Only someone you have feelings for." He said. He didn't want her going around and kissing a bunch of other men after all. She smirked, looking more devious than she ever had.

"So you have feelings for me?"

He blinked. "Well…uh…I mean…sure…yeah, I like you and stuff, but mostly I only kissed you because you asked me to. There are different kinds of kisses, that one would be called a chaste kiss. You can really tell when someone likes you if they give you a passionate one." He told her.

She gave him a pout, locking her pale jade depths with his deep green. "Well _I_ felt something." She huffed and walked past him. "Alright come on, come and teach me."

He held in a groan and caught up to her. Grabbing her upper arm, he pulled her in the direction of the hotel. "Come on, we'll go train in the hotel room so that we don't draw too much attention." He said. She blinked and let him drag her back. She didn't understand why it would be a better idea to practice in the hotel room, but she supposed he did know best.


	6. Hell

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Six_

-Hell-

"Akito." Natsumi called from the bathroom, stepping out.

The Uchiha turned with a deep sigh. "Are you ready ye-" he froze going wide eyed.

The pink haired woman blushed, running one of her hands through her hair. She was only dressed in her bra and underwear, yet another pair he had never seen before. The set was midnight blue and seemed to make her breasts look even more round. Just below both straps were lacy white flowers, surrounded by smaller ones. The underwear was the same color, with one white lacy flower in the center, and slim strings attaching the front to the back. "What do you think of this one? Do you like it? Does it look alright?" she asked, pinching at one of the strings on her hip.

He felt his body begin to react to her outfit and cleared his throat. "I really like that one." He said, unable to take his eyes from her slender form. Her face seemed to glow with happiness. She thought for a moment and then ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her body flush against his in a tight embrace.

"Thank you! I'm really glad you like it. I was afraid this one was too small."

His body froze at the unexpected contact. He could feel almost everything, and was suddenly very glad that he was fully dressed. Because had he been otherwise, he didn't know if he'd be able to control himself, since he could barely do so now. She turned her head a bit to look at him, tilting it slightly. "Aren't you supposed to hug me back, or was this an inappropriate time?" she blinked, but did nothing to loosen her grip. "You explained to me it was for thanks right? And appreciation."

He nodded. "No, you're right." He said, slowly bringing his arms around her small frame. He had told himself he would barely touch her, but once his fingertips touched her soft skin, he pulled her closer, fully returning her embrace. She was so soft and small. His hands began to rub up and down her smooth back, and he froze as he turned his head to inhale her intoxicating scent. He pulled away slightly, and looked down at her. "We should get going."

She nodded and broke from his grasp, running back into the bathroom. She shut the door and got dressed quickly, coming out in some black shorts and a black long sleeved shirt that was short enough to expose her midriff. She went over to the side of the bed and pulled on her shoes. "Ready to go."

"Alright. Come on then." He said, walking out the door.

She followed him out happily, since he was carrying all her things in his bag and she didn't have to do anything. They left the hotel and started for the gates, only silence between them. Natsumi was just excited about her next lesson in taijutsu. She had already learned so much the day before and she had practiced all night while Akito was sleeping. Finally, they were out in the forest once more, traveling along an almost covered path. She twirled the kunai around her finger and messed idly with it, following her companion step by step. "How long do you think it will take us to get to Konoha? I mean I know you said five days but it's already been two, we can't be that close."

"When I said five, I meant me, by myself, running at full speed. Carrying you slows me down some, and I can't run as fast as I normally do without risk of you freaking out. And since we're walking, so that you can keep up with me, it will probably take us a total of two weeks to get there, factoring in the fact that we still have two more villages to stop at, and I'm assuming you'll want to stay at least a day in order to explore. Am I correct?" he asked, looking down at her with a slight smile.

She blushed softly and looked away from him. "Well I don't want to inconvenience you, but that would be really fun and I would like to. But we don't have to." She glanced back, unable to meet his gaze. She didn't want to seem demanding, after all he was doing so much for her already by even taking her with him.

He stopped and turned her so that she was facing him. He grasped her chin and tilted her head so that she met his gaze. "Natsumi, it's not a problem. Besides, if you're good, I have a surprise for you." He said, smirking.

"A surprise?" she gasped, bouncing up and down. "I'll be good I promise, I promise! What is it?" she begged, gripping tightly onto his shirt. She leaned closer and then froze when they heard something ruffling in a nearby bush. She scrambled behind him, holding out the kunai in her trembling hand. "They've come for me!" she yelled, jumping onto him and holding on like a frightened cat.

Akito tried not to topple over from her sudden weight, since she had one of her arms wrapped fiercely around his neck and her legs around his waist. It was odd, he didn't sense anyone nearby, and he would have had someone been near. Suddenly a small, fluffy white bunny rabbit came out from underneath the bushes, and Akito had to keep from laughing. "What is that?" Natsumi shrieked, wriggling the kunai in her hand at the small animal.

He looked back at her over his shoulder. "Careful, I think it can smell fear." He said.

"What?" she yelled, going wide eyed and then quickly shutting them. "I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid." She kept mumbling to herself, but he could feel her still trembling. Then, she could feel Akito's body shaking beneath her. She peeked open one of her eyes to see if he was okay, and caught a smile on his face. It was then she realized he was laughing. "Why are you laughing?" she demanded with a harsh glare. Her gaze shifted only slightly, still seeing the odd white thing. "Oh God!" She slumped back, hiding behind his shoulder.

He burst into laughter then, the joyous sound filling the area. "Natsumi, it's just a rabbit. They're harmless." He managed to get out between chuckles. Her brow furrowed in confusion. She had no idea what a rabbit was, but it seemed that he wasn't alarmed by it. She released him, sliding from his back and looking down, trying not to let the tears that were already in her eyes fall.

He looked back at her, and his smile vanished instantly. "Natsumi…don't cry. It was only a joke, I didn't mean it." He said, bringing a hand up to wipe away a tear that had fallen. Before he could even touch her she smacked him across the face, finally letting out a sob.

"What is wrong with you, you jerk!" she turned away from him and started walking off in the direction they had been traveling.

He placed a hand on his stinging cheek, knowing that he deserved it. Then he ran until he was in front of her. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you were going to freak out that badly. I promise I won't ever do it again." He said, giving her a pleading look. For some reason he couldn't stand to see her cry, especially when it was because of him. The fact that he had upset her only made him angry at himself.

She gave him a fierce glare that was ineffective due to the tears streaming down her face. "You're just like every man I've ever met. A liar! So why should I believe what you say?" she snapped, trying to go around him, only to have him move in front of her. She tried once more and growled. "Will you stop that?"

"No." he said, his gaze hardening in determination. "Not until you forgive me. I may have lied, but it wasn't out of spite the way those other men did. It was in jest, to be funny. And when I realized my mistake, I apologized for it. I bet none of those other men ever gave you an apology, and if they did, it wasn't heartfelt. Mine is. And I will continue to apologize until I make things right between us."

She stopped trying to get around him and gave him a considering look and the glanced down focusing on a piece of grass. "Sorry I slapped you…"

He tilted her chin up towards him, something he seemed to do a lot of lately. "Do not apologize for something I deserved. I am sorry for making you cry." She still tried to avoid his gaze, she had never actually gotten away with striking a man before and it was always followed with punishment.

"Ok…" she finally managed out, staring into his eyes. He really did seem sincere, something she had never witnessed until now. He leaned down, and began to tenderly kiss away the tear streaks on her cheeks, using his tongue to help lick away the salty liquid.

"Kisses are also good for making boo boos better." He murmured, moving to the next cheek.

She closed her eyes, relishing the odd feelings his touch evoked. "They do make me feel better." she whispered, storing the information away for later use. So a kiss also helped ache? That was definitely something interesting. But Akito had also said it was only for people you had feelings for. So what did this mean? She chose to keep the question to herself, not wanting the same explanation she had received last time.

When he finished with her other cheek, he kissed her softly on the mouth, but pulled away before he got any other ideas. She still had her eyes closed, and when they opened and he was met with her beautiful pale jade, he felt an odd sensation in the pit if his stomach. He stroked her cheek and let out a sigh. "We should get moving. There's a place I have picked for us to camp at, and I want to reach it before nightfall."

"Alright." She nodded, brushing her hand against his in attempts to take his in her own. "Lead the way." She smiled. He unconsciously took her hand and led her through the forest, his mind trying to figure out why she made him feel funny, and yet coming up with no explanation.

* * *

Someone hated him. He was sure of it. For the past three days he had been tortured in the worst way possible. Through sins of the flesh. Only, he hadn't even gotten to commit any. Every morning Natsumi would put on a different pair of lingerie, and ask him if she looked good. When he said he liked it, for he always did, she would hug him, and he would be expected to return the embrace.

Except one morning, she had done so when he was only wearing his sleeping pants, since by now she was anticipating the time in which he rose, since she never slept. When that happened, he almost ravished her right there on the forest floor. Her innocence called out to him in ways it shouldn't, and he was finding it increasingly difficult to control himself when he was around her. Already once she had caught him staring at her, and he had just barely been able to play it off as nothing.

At the moment, he was staring at Natsumi's rear as she walked in front of him, and he was enjoying the view. They were coming up on another village, and the time was nearing when he would give Natsumi her surprise. "Natsumi." He called, somewhat reluctant to have to stop watching her fetching derriere.

She glanced back, looking at him sweetly. "Yes?"

"Come here." He held out his hand, and she took it willingly.

"What is it?" she asked, slightly confused. He was being even more mysterious than normal, and she couldn't help but wonder what was going on. He slung his pack off of his shoulder and let go of her hand, using it to open the bag and dig through its contents. Pulling out a wrapped package, he held it out to her. "I got this for you. You will need it for your surprise tonight." He said.

She took it and moved it around in her grip, it felt soft beneath the brown paper, so she assumed it was some sort of cloth. "What is it? Can I open it?" she asked, already moving to rip open the paper.

"No." he grabbed her wrist and gave her a small smile. "Wait until tonight to open it."

"Ok." she said, looking a little more than curious.

He put on his pack and then led her to the village, which was in the process of being decorated. Natsumi looked around curiously, but before she could take everything in, Akito dragged her into an Inn and checked them into a room.

"Wait, I want to see what they're doing. Is something happening here? Why are they hanging lanterns?" she bombarded him with questions, trying to head for the door again.

He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her flush against her body, kissing her in order to stop her questions. "Kisses are also a good way of getting people to be quiet." He said, then placed a finger over her mouth before she could speak once more, as she was about to do. "Your surprise is that tonight there is going to be a huge festival. This village is famous for it, and I thought, since you have never seen or been to one, you would like to go. There will be a fireworks display tonight and everything. And in the morning, we will head back out to the road. You may now open your present." He said, letting go of her.

She squealed excitedly at the news and quickly tore apart the brown paper. Her eyes went wide at the beautiful fabric as she pulled it from the wrapper. "What is it?" she asked, not able to tear her gaze away from the cloth.

"A formal kimono. For you to wear to the festival tonight. I have one as well, so that we can go together. I'll show you all the cool things they do here, since I've been before." He said, some of her excitement rubbing off on him. He was just happy that he had made her happy in his small gesture.

"Oh wow!" she placed the kimono down, jumping up and down as she ran over to him. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. He fell back from the new weight and hit the bed with her on top. She placed kisses all of his face, finally cupping his cheeks and giving him a deep kiss on the lips. "Thank you, thank you." She mumbled in between their wet exchange.

He brought a hand up and fisted it in her hair, wrapping the other one around her waist as he rolled them so that he was on top of her. He kissed her back passionately, his tongue fighting hers for dominance. As if snapped from a daze he stopped and pulled away, breathing heavily. "Sorry. I got carried away." He said, rolling off of her and lying on his back. He had lost some of his control, and he hoped in his moment of weakness he hadn't frightened her.

She stared up at the ceiling, slightly wide eyed. He'd never done something like that before when they showed their thanks to one another. She could feel the heat in her cheeks and in her stomach. What was that? She glanced over at him, staring at his lips, wanting another taste of what he had just given her. "It's ok." She finally said, sitting up and fixing her shirt. "Well I think I'll get in the shower." She said, getting up from the bed and heading into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. He stared at the closed door for a while, and once he had his hormones under the tight rein he had kept them in since meeting her, stood to put on his kimono and get ready for the festival.

She came out of the bathroom after a while, wrapped in only a towel. She had another in her hand and was drying her hair. "I'm going to need help putting it on." She told him, stopping by their bed and taking a good look at him. He looked really nice. He had a black shirt on underneath a dark blue kimono hat tied at his waist with a red rope. It was trimmed in a blue-grey material, and had leaves sewn into it periodically in the same color. Surrounding the leaves were light blue and white dots, and he had strapped his katana to his side, making him look like an old fashioned samurai.

"Okay." He said, tightening his sword to his belt and looking up at her, trying in vain to keep the surprise of her appearance off his face. She tossed the towel she was using to the bed and dropped the towel that was wrapped around her small frame.

"Should I put a bra and underwear on? Or what?" she asked innocently.

His eyes were practically popping out of his head at the sight of her perfect body. He let out a groan and hit his head against the wall a few times. "Unless you want me to take advantage of you right now, you should put some undergarments on." He said, facing the wall so that he wasn't tempted. She watched him for a bit longer and then shrugged, walking over to her bag and digging through her things. She slid on some black cheekies with a small blue bow on the front and a matching black lacy bra with two tiny bows below each strap and one in between the two cups.

"Ok, ok. You can turn around now. I don't know why you're so embarrassed." She smiled, not really understanding the full extent of what she had done. She had been with him for nearly a week now and he'd seen her in the underwear, it was only covering the bare minimum anyways.

He glared at her slightly, but kept silent. Then he walked over and lifted the silken material, helping her dress, put on the yukata, and tie the obi. Once he was done he leaned around her so that he could examine his work, since he had never dressed someone before. "Is that too tight?" he asked.

"Nope." She smiled, smoothing her hands down the fabric. She stepped away from him once he was finished and looked in the floor length mirror on the wall. The kimono was white decorated with scattered cherry blossom petals that seemed to shimmer in the right light. Along the front, off to the left was a brown silk that formed the trunk and branches of the tree littered the bark.

She smiled at her reflection and went back into the bathroom, racking a brush through her hair until it was perfect. She pushed up the sleeves and reached back, putting her hair up in a messy but stylish bun. She held it up and then slid one of the decorate chopsticks into place, grabbing the other and doing the same. The crossed sticks held up her hair and she examined it carefully. She came back out and laced her fingers together. "Well how do I look?"

"You are the epitome of delicate beauty." He said, gently stroking her cheek as he smiled down at her. Bringing her to this village to enjoy the festival had to be one of the best ideas he'd ever had in his entire life.

She gave him a knowing look and smirked, "You know sometimes I think you might be obsessed with how pretty I am."

He frowned, and a light blush came to his cheeks. "Just accept the compliment. You said never to call you pretty or beautiful, so I have to come up with creative ways to do it." He said, crossing his arms and looking away. She just rolled her eyes and looped her arm with his, hanging on his side happily.

"Just show me this wonderful festival you promised." She snickered.

He grimaced, but did just that. Taking her downstairs and outside of the Inn, he watched her face as she took in the village. The sun had just set, and the streets were lit with decorative lights and lanterns, and all of the booths were set up with their various trinkets and items to sell. Children ran around merrily with all sorts of masks and face paints on, while parents tried to keep up.

"Oh my gosh! This is amazing!" Natsumi cried out excitedly as she detached from his arm and ran towards one of the booths. She leaned over a small boy who was staring wide eyed at the koi fish, with as much awe as she had. He glanced up and gasped, moving away from her. She blinked and watched him bow which mad her blush.

"Oh my, forgive me, I did not mean to be in your way celestial maiden." He said, staring at her with more trepidation than he had the fish.

Natsumi only looked more confused. "Oh no," she shook her head quickly. "I'm not a celestial maiden." She smiled bashfully.

He mirrored her expression. "If not, then you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on." He nodded, smiling happily.

"Well thank you." she giggled, kneeling down and giving the small boy a kiss on the cheek. He turned a dark red and then looked past her to see Akito, who came up to her and wrapped his arm around her waist as she stood, signaling that she was his, even if she didn't know it.

"Natsumi, do not wander off. I cannot watch over you effectively, and in such a large crowd in a village you have never been to, you could get taken away." He said in her ear, though it looked to be an intimate gesture to those around them.

She slumped against him, keeping her body pressed against his. She waved a goodbye to the boy and walked off with Akito. "Do you still think those men will come after me?"

"It doesn't only have to be those men. Word has probably spread of your disappearance, and so others could be after you as well. On top that, there are other bad men out there who will take you away to use your body for their own pleasures, just as the Daimyo would have done." He explained, leading her through the crowded streets. She moved closer to him, if possible, looking around at the faces of the men. Would they really try and take her away from Akito?

Sensing her distress, he rubbed her side reassuringly. "Don't worry. I will protect you with my life." She glanced up at him and nodded, keeping herself glued to his side.

"I'm kind of hungry. Can we find something to eat?" she asked timidly.

He smiled. "Of course. Tonight, your every wish is my command. Come, I know where we can find some really good food." He said, turning a corner to the food section of the festival. They walked over to a kebab stand, and he moved so that she could look at the different kinds. "Get whatever you want." She leaned a bit forward, not leaving the comfort of his side.

"That looks yummy." She pointed to one with lots of simmering meat on the fire. The woman at the stand smiled and lifted it from the flames offering it to her.

"Here you go miss, do be careful. It's hot." She warned. Natsumi took a quick bite and yelped, it was hot, much hotter than she had anticipated. The elderly woman laughed and offered her a bottled water. "Sir, your girlfriend is simply the cutest thing I have ever seen."

"Isn't she though?" he said without thinking. Then he pointed to another kebab. "I'll take that one."

She picked it up and gave it to him, smiling at the two. "You know young lady, you seem vaguely familiar. Maybe it's your hair color. You know the wife of the Kazeka-"

"Oh well we have to go." Akito interrupted quickly, ushering Natsumi off before any more could be said.

Natsumi blinked, sticking another one of the charred vegetables in her mouth. "Is there something wrong? I thought she was nice and she was saying something."

"It's nothing. There's just so much more I want to show you tonight before the festival is over, that's all." He said quickly. They stopped in front of a dango stand then. "Have you ever had dango before?" he asked her.

"No," she leaned forward, examining the treat. "It looks yummy can we get some?"

"Akito?" they both heard, the voice making Akito's blood freeze. He quickly grabbed Natsumi and shoved her into an empty alley.

"Stay here until I tell you it's safe." He said as she nodded and hid behind a stack of crates. He came back out and walked over to the owner of the voice. "Hey Toshiro. What are you doing here?" he asked conversationally, thanking the gods that lying through your teeth was a natural talent given to all Uchihas.

The redhead gave him a small smile, moving around a couple that was simply engrossed in one another's presence. "Hey, oh well I'd always heard about this festival and since I was in the area I decided to come and check it out. But what are you doing here? I thought you were on a mission."

"I was. Actually I'm on my way back. I come to this festival every year, so I figured I'd stop by as I was passing through." He said. "So how are you and Minako doing?" he asked.

The subject made a brilliant smile grace his face, a smile that incidentally looked exactly like Natsumi's. "Pretty good, she and I have been having a lot more intimate moments, if you know what I mean." He snickered, nudging his friend. "Though I guess you don't." he rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "When are you finally going to try and have a relationship with a woman? I promise, it takes a lot of the stress off. But you are kinda a loner."

He crossed his arms. "When one comes along that can hold my interest, then I will attempt to form a relationship with her. But until then, all the women I meet want is to know what it's like to be with an Uchiha, or they want me for my fortune, or because of my name." he shrugged. "Until then, training is enough to keep my stress down."

"I dunno." Toshiro crossed his arms and gave him a haughty look. "Sex is pretty freaking awesome."

His eyes widened. "You mean, Minako let you..." he ran his hand through his hair in disbelief as he processed this new information. "Huh. Really? She always came across as the type to wait until marriage."

"That's what I thought." The redhead was a bit wide eyed. "But one night, it was just all raw passion and we just did it! And man is she a tomcat! She has got _the_ best body, I mean wow!"

He snorted. "Well, not the best I've seen."

"What?" his friend asked, having not heard everything the Uchiha had said.

"Nothing." Akito said quickly. "Well I'm glad things are going so great for you two. Tell me, are you ever going to tie the knot? You have been seeing her for the past three years after all."

Toshiro shrugged, now seeming a bit down from the conversation change. "I just don't know if I'd be able to devote to her the time she needs…I mean, I'm always gone…out there looking. That's actually why I'm over in this area." He smiled sadly. "I caught wind of a rumor. Most of it is pretty iffy. But they're saying a celestial maiden born from a cherry blossom tree is traveling around the country with a man. So when I investigated, I found out that the whole cherry blossom thing was because she had pink hair. So I came as soon as possible…but…I haven't found anything yet, so maybe it was just some ass spreading lies once more." He frowned, looking defeated. He ran a hand through his hair and scratched his head. "I just don't think I could give Minako my undivided attention…not when there's hope Natsumi could still be alive…even though it's highly improbable."

"Well I haven't really heard anything about it. But I'll tell you if I run into anything while on my way back to Konoha if you want. And if I happen to run across her, I'll bring her to Suna." He said, although it was a lie. He would never give Natsumi up now. He had grown attached to her over the past week he had spent with her, and he felt that he was the only one who would be able to protect her properly. I mean, her own family couldn't even protect her when she was an infant. Obviously Suna wasn't safe enough for her.

"Thanks…you know…it's been eighteen years already. I don't know why I'm still hopeful. But I can just feel it you know? That she's out there." He sighed once more and gave Akito a small hug. "Thanks man, sorry to get so depressing. Besides I know if you found her you'd bring her right home." He smiled.

Akito nodded. "Of course I would. You're my best friend, I'd do anything for you." He said, looking around a bit. He wished Toshiro would go away so he could continue his night with Natsumi. The fireworks were going to go off at midnight, and it was nearing quickly.

The redhead glanced around as well, noting his friend's absent mind. "Oh I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?" then he went wide eyed. "Do you have a date?"

"Sort of." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Wow, I'm sorry." He smiled, waving as he started to walk away. "Well I have to get back to Suna anyways. I'll see you later. Have fun on your date!" he called, before the sand in the air picked up and began to swirl around the young master. Suddenly, he was gone leaving nothing behind.

Akito let out a sigh, and then ran over to where Natsumi was hidden. "Natsumi? It's safe now." He said, walking back there.

She peeked around the box and ran over to him, clinging to him. "Who was that? He had crazy red hair." She pulled at her bangs a bit.

He stroked her cheek. "Everything's fine Natsumi. He's just someone I know. But if he saw me with you he would tell a bunch of people, and if a lot of people know about you, your life could be in danger." He said. It wasn't a complete lie, and therefore he didn't have to feel bad about it.

"You always think of what's best Akito," she smiled, gripping tightly onto his arm. "I saw some game booths. Do you think that we could go play some?" He nodded, giving her a small smile. She was just so cute when she got excited. They went from booth to booth, playing the games, she caught a pretty blue fish and Akito won her a beautiful decorative fan that matched her kimono.

They were walking towards one of the hills to watch the fireworks when a small girl ran up, admiring the fish Natsumi had gotten. She gave it to her without a second thought, giving the small one a brilliant smile. She hugged Natsumi and then ran off, showing her mother the fish. Finally, they reached the hill and Natsumi stared up at the starry sky. "So when do the fireworks start? How will we know?"

Akito sat down on the grass and pat the space next to him, waiting for her to be seated as well before explaining. "Well, they are going to go off any second now, and we'll know because the entire night sky will light up." He said. Suddenly there was a loud boom and a bright flash of light. Natsumi let out a startled scream and was now in Akito's lap with her head buried in his kimono. "Natsumi, it's alright. Those are the fireworks." He said with a small smile, pointing to the sky. She glanced up, looking up at the sky hesitantly. There was another burst of light followed by a loud crack.

"Wow!" she gasped, leaning forward, but staying in his lap. She rested both her hands on his thighs and gripped them tightly, she was so excited. The colors were so beautiful and the lights were more amazing than anything she could have ever imagined. "They're so beautiful." She whispered, twisting back in his lap. "Thank you so much." She smiled, lowering his head with one of her hands and kissing him.

He brought a hand up and cupped her cheek, deepening their kiss. It was almost unbearable to have her sitting in his lap so intimately and not do anything about it, but he had to control himself. Going against those thoughts, he placed his other hand on her hip and pulled her closer to his chest. From some unknown source, he got the strength to stop his attack on her lips. "You are very welcome. Now watch the show before it's over." He said against her lips, pulling away. She sat forward, resting her back against his front and staring at the sky in awe. It was absolutely wonderful.

When the show finished, it was nearly one o'clock. Brushing some hair out of Natsumi's face, he leaned back on his other hand and smiled at her. "Well all of the booths will be closing soon, so do you want to walk around a bit more, or go back to the hotel room?" he asked.

"I could always just show you my thanks." She smiled, lacing her fingers together as she looked back at him. "This was absolutely the most wonderful night of my life and it's all thanks to you."

His smile widened a bit. "I thought you would like this. I wanted you to have a night where you didn't have to worry about travelling or being chased or anything." He told her.

She turned around in his lap and placed her hands on his shoulders, pushing him down onto the soft grass. She looked down at him and then rested her head on his chest, letting out a content sigh. "Thank you, it was amazing. Just like you said it would be."

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "I'm glad you liked it." He murmured, kissing the top of her head. She smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the caress. She got up then, placing her hands on either side of his head.

"Well are you tired? Cause' we do have to leave in the morning. You should probably rest." she sat up, straddling his waist, and then reached back and pulled the chopsticks from her hair and letting it fall around her face.

He sat up as well and ran his fingers through her hair in curiosity. It was really soft. "Yes, we should be getting back to the room." He said, not moving from his position. She got up and took his hands, pulling him up with her.

"I just want to make sure you're getting enough sleep. Besides, before you go to bed I can give you a big thank you surprise." She said excitedly, dragging him down the hill and back to the hotel. She pulled him through the doors and then to their room, and when they were inside she sat him down on the bed and pulled off her obi, letting the kimono fall loose around her. "I noticed your reaction is better when I wear the lacy kind, so I'll wear this to bed." She smiled, dropping the rest of the kimono.

He stared at her, slightly wide eyed, feeling himself react to her actions. "But…I thought you didn't sleep." He said. It was the only thing that had entered his mind in that moment, to her than the numerous things he wanted to do to her. But those were hardly appropriate.

She blinked, "I don't. But I can lay with you can't I?"

He nodded. "Yeah." He said, his mouth going dry. He stood and took off his kimono and shirt, leaving himself in his boxers. Pulling back the covers, he reached over and turned off the bedside lamp, leaving the only light in the room as the moonlight coming in through the windows. He got in the bed and pulled back the covers on the other side of the bed. "Come on." He said, patting the space next to him. She let out a small squeal and climbed over him to her side of the bed. She got under the covers and moved closer to him, pressing her body against his, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Sleep well Akito."

"Try and sleep Natsumi." He said, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer to him. He shut his eyes and cursed his luck. He was going to die from the torture she was unknowingly putting him through. Perhaps if he looked at this as a test he would be able to get through it. A test on his self-control, something he had always prided himself in having a huge amount of. Yes, he would try that. Those thoughts in mind, he let sleep take him.


	7. Heaven

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Seven_

-Heaven-

Things were getting progressively worse. Ever since that night of the festival, Natsumi had taken to sleeping in her bra and underwear. He much preferred it when she had worn her long pants and shirt, because at least then he wasn't tempted by her smooth skin. She also liked to lay in his arms as he drifted off to sleep, which also didn't help any. It took him forever to calm down enough to actually fall asleep, and once he was, he would dream of all the things he wanted to do to her, and wake up the next morning aroused. Noticeably. And, since he didn't want to scare her or anything, he had to hide it and somehow make it go away, which was a difficult task while travelling through the forest, so he made sure they were always near some source of water. At least then he could rid himself of his problem by bathing in the cold liquid.

At the moment they had just arrived at their last stop before reaching Konoha. They had entered Fire the day before, and were only going to stay in this village for one night. In the days that they had been traversing the lands, he had taught Natsumi about chakra and how to control it, and a few techniques to use with her sand. He didn't know the general mechanisms of it, but knew from watching Toshiro fight and from their spars a few of the hand movements and what they caused the sand to do. He had also taught her basic self-defense and a few offensive moves with a kunai in order to bring down her attacker. She was a quick learner, and he suspected that she practiced while he was asleep, but he didn't really have any proof. The time that they had been travelling wasn't enough to build up her stamina to where she could run with him at his speed, but they could run some. Just not very long. He figured in time she would be ready for that though. A small part of him felt bad, because she would've made an excellent ninja.

He let out a sigh and walked out of the bathroom and into the room they were staying in. This was one of the nicest hotels in the country actually, so their room was very lavish and elegant in its décor. Natsumi had squealed in delight upon seeing it, and he decided not to mention that he was paying for it out of his pocket instead of from his mission funds, because he wanted her to have the experience in staying somewhere nice.

"The bathroom is open if you wanted to shower." He said, drying his hair with a spare towel, his other one hanging low on his hips. Sometimes he had to wonder if she found him attractive. Sure, he knew she thought he was handsome, but he was unsure if she actually liked men in a sexual way at all, given the torture she had had to go through growing up. She would blush from time to time, but it could be from any number of reasons.

"No that's ok. I think I'm going to go down to the café and look around the lobby. I promise I won't leave." She laced her fingers together, sticking her lower lip out in a pout.

"Alright. Here, take this." He said, tossing her a pouch full of money. "If you see something you want, don't hesitate to get it."

She squealed happily, jumping on him and pressing her lips against his. "Thank you, thank you!" she mumbled in between her ravishing. "I'll be back." She slid off and waved before disappearing out the door. Akito looked down and let out a sigh. She hadn't noticed, but in her excitement his towel had fallen to the floor, leaving him completely bare and slightly aroused. He picked up the towel and went right back into the bathroom, intent on taking another shower, only this time, a cold one.

* * *

Natsumi walked around the massive hotel lobby, sucking on a lollipop she had bought from the gift store. She stopped at the indoor pond, with a small waterfall running into it and stared in complete awe.

"Well hi there. I don't believe I have ever seen you here before."

Natsumi turned around, being face to face with a very pretty blonde girl. Her hair was down and stopped at the small of her back. She had really pretty blue eyes that seemed to move like water. "Um hello." She said a bit timidly. Akito had told her to be wary of new people after all.

"I'm Chigusa." The girl held out her hand, smiling kindly at her. "My family owns this hotel and almost everything else in the town." She explained as Natsumi took it.

"I'm Natsumi." The pink haired woman said, smiling back.

Chigusa seemed pleased that she no longer seemed afraid. "That's a really pretty name, but you've got a really pretty face to match. So that's good, well I was just visiting my dad, I was about to go shopping. You wanna come? We could go get some tea or something. You kinda looked bored over here all by yourself. And no woman as beautiful as you or me should ever be alone. Plus I think we could be friends! What do you say?" she asked, looking completely innocent.

Natsumi seemed to brighten up. "Friends? Um yes I would love to! But hold on, I have to go ask permission first." She held up one finger and moved back. "Wait right here. I'll be right back!" she called, turning around and heading for the stairs. She took two at a time and finally got to her floor. She burst into the hall and then ran to hers and Akito's room. "Akito!" she yelled, as she went in. She blinked and looked around seeing he wasn't there. That was when she heard the shower. She opened the bathroom door and poked her head in. "Akito! I made a new friend and she wants to go shopping and have lunch! Can I go? Please, please, please! She doesn't seem like a bad guy and she's my age."

The water to the shower turned off and Akito's hand reached out and grabbed a towel. He stepped out a moment later with it wrapped around his waist. "What's this girl's name?" he asked.

"Chigusa."

"And who is she?"

"The hotel owner's daughter."

"What does she look like?" he interrogated.

"She has long blonde hair and blue eyes." Natsumi said, showing him how long the girl's hair was.

He thought about it for a moment. It couldn't really hurt anything for her to go, besides, it was a small town. And he could always have one of his summons tail her and the girl just in case. That decided, he nodded. "You may go. But don't be out long. If I don't hear from you or see you by six then I'm going to come find you, and I won't be happy." He said, trying to give her a stern look. She clapped her hands together happily.

"Yes sir! I promise I will send you word if I cannot make it myself." She smiled, latching onto him again and pressing her lips against his once more in a deep, passionate kiss. "Thank you," she mumbled, nuzzling him slightly. She blinked and then gave him a once over. "Why were you in the shower again? Didn't you just take one?"

"Uh…" he said, blinking stupidly. "I missed a spot. Have to be completely clean you know." He supplied, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

She laughed, "Well that's silly. You seemed clean to me." She got on her tip toes and kissed the juncture between his neck and his jaw. "See you later." she waged her fingers and then left the bathroom quickly, followed by the room door closing. Akito just turned around and got right back in the shower, turning the water on cold as he threw the towel on the ground. Cold showers, it seemed, were his new best friend.

* * *

Natsumi ran down stairs and found Chigusa just where she had left her. She stopped in front of the other woman who blinked in surprise. "I can go!" she cheered. Chigusa joined in and took Natsumi's hands, leading her out into the streets. The two girls walked around town, talking and sharing stories, though Natsumi's were a bit censored, since Akito had told her to be smart about what she told other people.

They stopped at a small café, getting tea and other fun snacks. They really seemed to take to one another. Finally, Chigusa took her new friend to the shopping district and the two began looking for different things to wear. "What exactly are you shopping for?" Natsumi asked and she pulled out a slinky red dress.

"Oh well, tonight, some friends and I are going to go to this amazing night club. There's dancing and music and tons of fun!" she smiled, holding a blue shirt up to her chest and looking in a nearby mirror. She froze and the gasped, "You should come with us! I'm sure you' love it! Not to mention you look like you know how to dance."

Natsumi turned a dark red and tried to focus on the clothes. "Well…yeah I was taught to by another woman. She even showed me how to belly dance. I think it's what keeps my stomach so flat." She said, touching her abdomen.

"Well then come with us!" the blonde exclaimed, taking Natsumi's hands in her own.

She blinked and nodded slowly, "Ok, why not? I'll have to send a message to Akito though. He said I have to make sure I report to him before doing anything after six."

"Akito? Is he your boyfriend?"

The pink hared woman thought for a moment. Well, Akito was her friend and he was a boy…well more like a man. A very, very sexy man. She felt herself blushing and then looked into Chigusa's sly expression. "Well yeah, sorta, he's more like…my man friend though. Since boy is kinda inappropriate."

Chigusa gasped and nudged Natsumi playfully. "Oh my, you naughty, naughty girl." She chuckled waltzing off and searching through the racks. "Well you should invite him too. The more the merrier."

"You think so? I don't know. Akito doesn't really seem the type to like places like that." Natsumi sighed.

"Nonsense. With how I am going to dress you, _any_ man would love a place like that." She smirked and pulled out a shirt, if you could even call it that. Natsumi turned a dark red once again.

"Alright. But I don't think he has anything to wear to such a place. We should pick something out for him." She said, thinking about his wardrobe. It was all basically something a ninja would wear, which she didn't mind because he looked drop dead gorgeous in it. Chigusa just smiled. "Well then _we_ have a lot of shopping to do. We can send it over later with a message and you can get ready at my house." She pointed out and filed through some more things.

Natsumi joined her friend's side and smiled. "Ok sounds like a plan."

* * *

It was nearing six when there was a knock on the door to the hotel room. Akito got up from the bed and walked over to the door, opening it to see a man, instead of Natsumi. He bowed respectfully to Akito and offered him a brown package with a letter folded on top. "My mistress Chigusa sent this for you. From Natsumi-sama." He said and then headed back down the hall.

The Uchiha just shut the door and placed the wrapping on the table. He pulled off the letter and read it quickly.

_Akito,_

_My new friend Chigusa has invited me out tonight and I want you to come as well! So I bought you some new clothing and I wish for you to meet me at the following address around eight. I can't wait to see you!_

_Love,_

_Natsumi_

_P.S. Don't worry I'm fine! It's not a trap, Chigusa is really cool!_

He looked at the address and sighed, grabbing the package once more and opening it after setting the letter down. There was a pair of black jeans, a tight white shirt, and a black button up shirt. He decided to humor her, and got dressed in the clothes she had sent him, rolling up the sleeves to the black shirt. Then he picked up the letter and memorized the address. Leaving the hotel, he walked through the streets of the village until he came upon a large building. Loud music could be heard coming from the inside, and when he looked at the glowing sign on the roof, he realized it was a club.

"You have got to be kidding me." He said. He went inside and looked around, trying to find Natsumi. There was no way in hell he was going to stay here, and she wasn't either. This was no place for an innocent such as her. His eyes stopped their scan of the room when they found Natsumi, and widened at what he saw.

The only thing visible to him of her was her bare back. She was already out on the floor, dancing in a crowd with two boys and three girls around her. The blonde she had described was beside her, swaying her hips. But there was something sultry about the way Natsumi moved. She finally turned and he could see what she was wearing. It was a tiny piece of black material, a shirt that tied around her neck and two strings that tied in the back, somewhat like a bikini top. Sheer black fabric hung down, cut up the center, just until her bust, showing off her perfect flat stomach. She had on small black shorts that clung to her curves even more than her normal attire. She wore flats now, with black ribbon tying up her legs and stopping just below her knees.

The thing was, she shouldn't be moving the way she was. She was so innocent, it was almost unbelievable to watch her. But she wasn't dancing against anyone, which was a relief and the guys around her just seemed to be having fun. Unlike the others around the room who did absolutely nothing to hide their lustful stares.

Chigusa slowed and seemed to see Akito, "Oh wow. I think I just found my candy for the night." She purred. One of the guys with them looked over and laughed, letting his blonde hair fall in his brown eyes.

"Sorry hun, looks like that guy has a hard on for Natsumi over here." He snickered.

Said woman slowed her moving and looked up at her new friend. "Huh? Hard what?" she followed their gaze and a smile broke across her face. "Oh that's Akito!" she pushed through the crowd and ran up to him grabbing his arm.

Chigusa's jaw dropped. "No way. For real? I thought super-hot girls ended up with average or ugly guys."

The blonde shrugged. "That's two really good looking people, kind of overwhelming." He teased, giving her a nudge.

"Oh Akito! You came!" Natsumi said happily, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Come on! I want you to meet my new friends!" she took his hand and pulled him through the crowd to the group. "Hey everyone this is Akito." She pointed at him.

Chigusa smiled, waving at him. "Hi I'm Chigusa."

"You must be Natsumi's man friend." One of the other girls laughed.

Both the guys nodded to him. "Don't worry friend, we've been making sure no one tries to make any moves on your lady. So no worries." They said, they didn't seem like the others. Of course they thought she was pretty, but they had ladies of their own.

He nodded to them and then looked at the other woman. "Man friend?" he asked, confused.

"Well you are her boyfriend aren't you?" the blonde asked.

Natsumi shook her head. "No Akito, she asked me if I had a boyfriend. But you aren't a boy, so I told her you were more like my man friend." She explained. Understanding dawned in his eyes as to what Natsumi meant, and what the others thought, but he decided not to say anything and let them think what they wanted. His gaze moved to Natsumi then.

"Where did you learn how to dance like that?" he asked.

She shrugged, "I don't know. It's how I've always danced and how I was taught. It's easy, you just move your hips." She smiled up at him and bumped his side with her own.

He frowned. "I know how to dance, I just didn't know you did."

"Well you never asked." She pointed out with a huff.

The darker haired man gave Akito a nudge. "Instead of bragging just dance with her. Jeez." He rolled his eyes, taking a strawberry blonde with him further into the dance floor.

"Ch." He grabbed her hand and dragged her to a different section of the dance floor, not wanting to be close to those people. Pulling her body against his, he leaned down to her ear and whispered, "So, how well can you dance, little flower?" he mocked.

She smirked and started moving, grinding her front into his. "Better than you." She whispered back, letting her hands snake up his chest and smoothing her fingers along his neck.

"Doubtful." He said with a smirk, placing his hands on her hips. He slipped one of his legs between hers and rotated his hips, so that they brushed hers. "But I'd like to see you try and prove it."

"Oh I will," she said simply, her grip on him tightening a bit. It was odd, she was feeling that odd heat in her stomach again. She pressed her whole body against him then, moving slowly against him, fitting into his perfect frame. She let one of her hands slide down and play with one of the few buttons that were actually buttoned. "You look nice by the way."

"You look sexy." He said, moving both of their hips to the music. She glanced up at him, trying to still her racing heart. She turned in his grip, pressing her back against him and moving a bit down slowly, before coming back up and dancing against him.

"It feels like I'm not wearing anything."

He pressed his now growing arousal into her bottom and grinded against her, placing his head on her shoulder as he did so. "I know." He smirked, trailing his lips up her shoulder to her neck. She bit down on her lower lip and tilted her head to the side so he could have better access. She reached her hands back and set them on his hips, pulling him against her more, feeling his pressure.

"I'm not wearing any underwear." She whispered, closing her eyes. He was making her feel something very hot. It felt like her whole body was on fire.

"Trust me, I can tell." He smirked.

She opened her eyes and glanced off, "Is there…a way that I can kiss you…without it meaning thank you?" she asked.

He pulled away slightly to look at her. "Yes. Kisses are not only meant for thank yous and to feel better, they are also to feel good. There is still one kiss I haven't taught you, because I didn't know if you were ready for it yet." He said.

She turned to face him and looked up into his face. "What is it? What does it mean? Show me."

He ran his fingers through her hair and gripped the back of her head, tilting it so that he had better access. "This is the most passionate kiss you could ever give someone. It means that you have intense feelings for them." Then his mouth connected with hers in a hard, demanding kiss. He opened her mouth with his tongue, and they began to fight for dominance. Into this kiss he poured all of his pent up sexual desire that he had been unable to release within the past week and a half, showing her with his mouth what he was feeling, His other hand came down and gripped her butt, pulling her pelvis flush against his, so that both could feel everything. She moved up on her tiptoes, trying to get even more from the kiss than she was already receiving.

There was so much there, more than she could even comprehend or understand. But one thing she did know, was that he wanted her. Really, _really_ badly. She broke from their kiss when she felt she needed a quick breath. She locked her jade gaze with his and stared him down, looking more confident than she ever had. "Do you want me?"

He was panting from the effort he had put into the kiss, but hastily tried to explain his actions to her. "I don't want you to be upset or think that I'm using you just like those other men. That's why-" she placed her finger on his lips, silencing him.

"Akito, do you want me?" she repeated.

He nodded. "More than anything."

"Then…" she paused, a small smile coming to her beautiful face. "You can have me."

"What?" he asked, slightly shocked and praying that he hadn't misheard her.

She gave him a pressing look and leaned closer to him, so he couldn't miss what she said. "You want to have sex with me right?" she asked, not waiting for a reply. "I'm going to let you." She said, placing her hand on his pelvis.

His body instantly reacted to her touch, and before anyone knew what was happening, both disappeared in a puff of smoke, only to reappear in their hotel room. He cupped her cheek, stroking the smooth skin with his thumb. "I promise to be gentle." He said, kissing her tenderly. She pressed herself against him, kissing him back deeply. Somehow it was so much different than their kisses before. Probably because he was no longer holding back his desires.

"I'm much more interested in seeing just how you're going to put all the pent up energy to use." She whispered, pulling away from him and reaching behind her back, pulling on one of the black strings. Her top fell loose, no longer clinging to her body. She found the last tie and gave it a tug, undoing the bow at the top, letting the fabric fall down to the floor.

He smirked as he took in her perfect chest, letting his normally hidden lust show in his eyes. "You'll see." He said, leaning down and beginning to trail kisses along her neck, licking and biting every so often. He continued his path down her shoulder, as his hands moved from her hips up her sides slowly, taking in the feel of her smooth skin. Then, he cupped her breasts, squeezing and massaging them experimentally. They were probably the softest part of her, and they fit perfectly in his hands, as if they were made for his touch.

She closed her eyes, arched into his hold from his wanted touch. So this was what it was like to have someone you cared about touch your body? It was amazing, never before would she have allowed anyone to do such an act. But everything about his body called out to hers. She lifted her hand running her fingers through his dark locks and forcing his head down. "Akito…" she breathed out.

He did as she wished, and began to lick the most sensitive part of her breast, continuing his massage on the other one. His teeth grazed across the sensitive bud, and Natsumi gasped. "Do you like that, my little flower?" he asked, moving to the opposite mound and doing the same. She nodded, feeling her knees give out from the overwhelming heat that was coming over her. She gripped onto him tightly, panting softly.

Akito stopped his ministrations on her chest and picked her up, carrying her over to the bed and laying her down gently. He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off, removing the white undershirt afterwards. Then he crawled until he was over her, and pressed his chest against hers as he kissed her passionately, reveling in the feel of her skin against his. He had wanted this for what felt like ages, to the point that his only thought was her. He trailed kissed down her throat and chest, paying homage to each of her delicate mounds as he did so. His hands came up to rest on her hips, and he hooked his fingers in her shorts and slowly began to remove them as he kissed a path down her flat stomach.

She gasped, arching her back and gripping at his hair once more. She bit down on her lower lip, trying to control her voice. This was unlike anything she had ever felt before, she gripped the sheets with her free hand. When her shorts were gone and his head was between her legs she let out a low moan, showing just how much she enjoyed his antics. He smirked and pulled away slightly, to get a better look at the most secret area on her body. He stroked her slit with his finger, and then began to rub slowly around the sensitive bud between her legs.

"Oh Akito!" she cried out, removing her hand from his hair and resting it over her face, biting down on one of her fingers. "Please, stop teasing me and just do it!"

Slowly, he slid two of his fingers into her heat and began move them. "Is this what you wanted?" he asked, kissing inside her thigh as he looked up at her, pulling his digits out before thrusting them back into her inviting hole. She gripped her hair tightly, panting loudly.

"Not…exactly…" she gasped out. "But it feels amazing."

"Then tell me what you want." He said with a smirk, adding a third finger and moving his hand faster. He knew exactly what she wanted, but he was going to make her say it.

She split her fingers and looked down at him from the space. "I want…" she took a sharp intake of breath and lowered her hand that was gripping the sheets to her stomach. He glanced up at her curiously, removing his fingers. She lowered her fingers and touched her most sensitive area. She looked away, unable to take his stare. "I want _it_ right here."

"'It' can mean a lot of different things Natsumi, you'll have to be more specific." He instructed, sitting back so that he could watch her better. She sat up quickly, glaring at him. She closed her legs and huffed, rough grains swarmed around his wrists and solidified. She forced him up with her sand and grabbed onto the hem of his pants, pulling them off in one tug along with his boxers.

She forced him forward, pressing her forehead against his. He tensed when she took hold of his most treasured body part, rubbing her thumb up and down in a teasing manner. "Is this specific enough for you?" she arched a delicate brow, smirking.

"Yes." He grunted, closing his eyes at the pleasure she was making him feel. "But you know, I can't put it inside you with my hands bound." He said, opening his eyes so that his forest green met with her light jade. "At least, not in the way I would like." She moved her hand through the air and the sand swam away, making him fall a bit forward on top of her.

He pressed her back onto the soft mattress, aligning their bodies perfectly so that she could feel him. He kissed her softly, grinding against her pelvis with his own in the process. "Are you ready?" he asked when he pulled away. He hoped she said yes, because he didn't think he'd be able to control himself if not. She nodded quickly, a dark blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm ready." She moved her hands, holding onto his shoulders and bracing herself. She widened her legs for him and closed her eyes, gasping loudly when he pushed into her. Her nails dug into his flesh as she tried to endure the burning. It was not like the fire from before. It hurt, but that was to be expected, he was tearing the tissue down there. She felt the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. But she could feel herself slowly adjusting to having such a thing inside her.

He stopped when he was fully inside her and shut his eyes, marveling at the feeling. After a few moments he pulled out and then thrust back in, creating a slow rhythm. He wanted her to get used to the feeling after all, and he didn't want to hurt her, since he had promised to be gentle. "Are you alright?" he asked, pulling her a bit closer to him.

She didn't say anything at first, trying not to scream from the raw pain. But just before she thought she couldn't take it anymore, the pain slowly died as he thrust into her. It wasn't hard and finally, it felt smooth and warm, climbing higher and higher until she could feel just why people seemed to enjoy the act so much. "Oh my God." She gasped out, opening her eyes and looking up into her beautiful green. She nodded quickly, sensing his slow and wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing him deeper inside of her. "It feels amazing." She breathed out, locking her arms around his neck and kissing his neck, biting down on a soft spot just below his ear. "Faster."

Now that he had permission, he let go of the leash he had been keeping on himself and sped up, groaning at the new sensation. If it felt this good to go at the speed he was, he wondered what it would feel like to go as fast as he could. Wanting to sate his curiosity, he sped up even more, until he was sweating from the exertion. He could hardly even hear himself pant over Natsumi screams of pure ecstasy. She threw her head back, trying to keep up with his hips, but every time she seemed to match his pace he increased. She couldn't even see anymore. All that there was, was him and his body against her and the intense heat he was causing with their friction. She gripped his arms tightly, feeling something change in her. "Something's happening." She barely got out over another pleasured moan.

He could feel it too. Not only the change in himself, but the change in her, since her walls were beginning to tighten around him. "You're going to come." He panted in her ear, nipping the lobe lightly as he thrust into her. He added more force to the motions, letting out a pleasured moan as he pulled back to watch her face. He wouldn't be able to last much longer at this rate.

Her hold tightened even more so after a few more of his thrusts, she thought she was going to melt. She arched into him and felt her whole body give way to him and release, only allowing him to slide in more easily. After a few more hard thrusts, he joined her, spilling his essence in her.

When it was all over, he rolled so that she was lying on top of him. He wasn't yet ready to part from her inviting heat, and so wrapped his arms around her in an embrace.

She laid her head on his chest, closing her eyes as she rested. She was utterly exhausted. But she felt amazing and full and complete. "Wow." she mumbled.

"Yeah." He said. Then the full meaning of what they had just done hit him, and his eyes widened. This was not good. She probably thought that he had some deep feelings for her now, since things like this usually meant a lot to girls. If he didn't say something sentimental, she was going to get angry with him, and he'd never get to see her naked or touch her again. But what should he say? Then, it hit him. All he had to do was tell her he loved her, and he would be in the clear. But, he'd never said anything like that before, so he decided to build up to his lie.

"You know, you really took me by surprise at the club. At first, I wasn't even going to dance with you. I was going to take your skinny butt back to the hotel room, because I hate people, especially when they're in crowds. But then I saw you dancing, and you were just so beautiful. And then you challenged me. Nobody challenges Uchiha Akito and gets away with it, know what I mean?" he asked, pausing his babbling and looking down at her, only to see that she had fallen asleep. He let out a relieved sigh. Well, it looked like he didn't have to lie to her after all. That was good, because he didn't want to lie to her, and if she found out, he didn't want her to think he had used her. Because in reality, they had both technically used each other.

He rolled with her onto his side and finally pulled out of her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him. Covering their naked bodies with the sheets, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, not sexually frustrated at all.


	8. Growth

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Eight_

-Growth-

Natsumi yawned and stretched slowly, resting her hand on her forehead. She blinked and looked around, going wide eyed. "Oh my god! What happened? Did I black out?" she yelled, dragging the sheets up and covering her naked flesh.

"Natsumi, calm down. You fell asleep right after we finished last night." Akito said, looking down at her. "And if you don't mind, I was enjoying the view before you freaked out." He reached up and yanked the sheets down so that he could see her bare chest once more.

"I fell asleep?" she blinked, holding her head with one of her hands. "I've never slept before."

"Well you passed out last night." He said, beginning to trace random patterns on her skin. It was just so soft, and now he was finally allowed to touch it. "How are you feeling, by the way? Not too sore?"

She looked back at him and then down at the sheets covering her lower region. "Actually, I kinda am. But it's not bad…just…different."

He followed her gaze and then moved his hand down to rub her lower stomach in an attempt to massage out some of the ache she was feeling. He kissed her forehead then and rose from the bed, stretching languidly with his arms above his head. "I'm going to get a shower." He said, looking to the window and seeing the rising sun.

"Ok," she said, watching him get up and head towards the bathroom. She turned on her side, getting a nice view of his firm behind. She reached her hands up and gripped her pillow, hugging it tightly, resting her head down as well. She'd had sex with him last night, she had actually done such a vulgar thing with a man. But it didn't seem vulgar. It felt really good. Really, _really_ good. It was like a dream, thinking back on it now. She wondered idly, about some of the things she could try the next time they did such activities. She felt a dark blush creep over her cheeks, next time? Would there even be one?

Akito turned on the shower and reached out to see if it was the right temperature. Seeing that Natsumi hadn't fully caught on to his thought process, he turned and walked back into the bedroom. He wasn't really surprised, she was, after all, still innocent. In most aspects. He stopped when he was next to the bed and placed his hands on his hips, looking down at her. "You know, we could always save some water and you can shower with me." He said, giving her a suggestive smile.

She blinked and glanced up at him, but only for a moment. Since her gaze shifted back down to what she was eye level with, and it just happened to be what had been inside her the night before. Finally, she sat up, a light bulb going off. "Oh my gosh! I didn't know it cost more for the water. I'm so sorry, I should have showered with you before." She bowed her head in shame. "I did not mean to waste."

He ran a hand down his face and held in a groan. "Natsumi, it doesn't cost more. I was only saying that so we could have a repeat of last night." He explained, tilting her chin up and kissing her softly in order to better get his point across. "Unless you don't want to have sex again. I won't force you." He said, gently tracing her jaw with his thumb.

She stared up at him and shook her head, "No I want to." She said, moving out from beneath the covers and in front of him. "You did get me kinda of dirty," she smiled sweetly, pressing her palm against her pelvis. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were trying to get me pregnant." She snickered, walking towards the bathroom.

His eyes widened at her joke and he watched her enter the bathroom. He hadn't even considered that she could get pregnant. She could be pregnant right now and they wouldn't even know. He would just have to be more careful the next times they had sex then, because if he got her with child then he'd have to take responsibility and marry her, and tell her family about her, since he knew they would want to know their grandchild.

Akito followed her into the bathroom and got in the shower with her. He grabbed the bottle of shampoo and put some on his palm, then began to massage it into Natsumi's scalp, washing her hair. He didn't really understand why he was washing her, for he knew she could do it herself, but he wanted too. And at the moment, that was enough explanation for him. She just smiled, enjoying their contact, even if it wasn't sexual. She loved when he was careful with her, like she was a precious little flower. "I don't understand." She said finally, with a long sigh. "Why are you so nice to me? I mean you hardly even knew me. I was just some girl whose mother decided money was more than her daughter." She frowned, feeling the ache return to her chest. Something she hadn't felt in a long while, not since meeting Akito.

He paused in his actions, and moved her so that the shampoo was rinsed from her hair. Then he began to massage in the conditioner. "I am not sure exactly why I was nice to you in the beginning. I suppose it has something to do with wanting something to protect, like you said before. But now, it is because I care about you." He admitted, which was true. She had grown on him, and he liked having her around. Otherwise he would have shoved her off on Toshiro that night at the festival. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a serious look. "Natsumi, you have to know, your parents didn't sell you to the Daimyo." He didn't like seeing that look in her eyes, and so had decided to tell her the truth. Well, most of it.

"What?" she asked, completely wide eyed. "Ow," she winced a bit, since some of the conditioner had gotten in her eye.

He rinsed her hair out, getting the conditioner out of her face. "I know of your parents. You were not sold to that man, as he led you to believe." He repeated. "Your parents loved you more than life itself."

She seemed in complete awe. "Really? But the Daimyo said that-"

"I don't care what that piece of shit said." He snapped, quickly changing tone. "You were kidnapped when you were a baby."

She blinked, "My parents? You know them? Oh my gosh can you take me to them? Please, please, please!" she begged, latching onto him.

His expression softened and he brought a hand up to stroke her cheek. "I'm sorry, but your parents died a long time ago. They never got over losing you." He lied convincingly. Her face fell instantly, a sad look covering her face.

"Oh…well, I guess it's good to know…they at least wanted me…" she tried to smile, but it looked pained.

"Hey," he said softly, stroking her cheek. "You still have me. When we get to Konoha, you can stay with me if you want to." He offered, allowing his plan to fall into place. He knew she would say yes, she had nowhere else to go. And she didn't know how to live on her own, had no money, and she trusted him. It was perfect, he would be able to keep Natsumi all to himself for the rest of his life. She nodded, signifying a yes.

He was all she had. He had protected her and taken care for her, done everything she could have possibly imagined someone who loved her would do. It made her terribly sad, that her parents had loved her and now they were dead and she would never get to meet them. But what else was she supposed to do? "You're always taking care of me." She sighed, somewhat content. He did make her happy and she felt very strongly for him. She leaned against him, pressing her cheek to his firm chest. She nuzzled into him affectionately, "I'm so glad you found me. You're nothing like those lying pigs."

He nodded, pushing the slight guilt he felt aside. He was nothing like them. Sure, he had lied, but it was for her own good. He wasn't using her for his own ends, and he wasn't making her do servant's work. He didn't beat her, or belittle her, heck, he was practically a saint. By staying with him she would always be safe and never get hurt. He could make her happy. "I will always be there for you Natsumi, I swear it." He said, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. She smiled, looking up into his flawless face and planting a kiss on his lips.

"I know." She pulled away then and got some shampoo in her own hand, stepping up on her tip toes and washing his hair as he had done for her. When she finished and rinsed it out she started with the conditioner, massaging his scalp in a caring way. Finally, she got some body wash in her hands and started smoothing it over his body, taking her time on his abs and then his butt, before focusing all her attention on his lower manhood. She rubbed her hands up and down his shaft and smiled up at him, enjoying his reactions. So this was how to control a man, she could probably make him beg in this position. "I'll make sure right here is extra clean."

His jaw clenched at the sensations her ministrations were causing him to feel. "I don't see why, it's just going to get dirty again." He ground out through his teeth. He groaned and rested his head against the wall of the shower when she gripped him harder.

"Always nice to be clean if you're going to thrust it into me again." she pointed out smartly. She shoved him against the wall, pinning him with her free arm and increasing her speed with her hand. "You know I've never tortured someone before. But I think I like it. You make such cute and helpless faces." she smirked.

He returned her smirk as he looked down at her, moving his hips along with the pace she had set. "You should have seen your face last night then. I had barely even gotten started."

She turned a dark red. "Shut up." She huffed, fumbling in her actions. Taking the opportunity presented to him, he gripped her hips and lifted her up, holding her against the opposite wall with his body. He took both of her wrists in one of his hands and held them up, using the other to help support her under her thigh.

"You're doing it now." He teased, trailing kisses down her neck, licking and biting every so often and he ground his arousal into hers. She tensed, the way he held her hands, pinned, above her head. The heat from his body and the heat in her own vanished, filling with cold fear. She struggled against him, starting to hyperventilate.

"Let go!" she screamed, shutting her eyes tightly, obviously not registering that it was him. She was stuck in a horrible memory from her tortured past.

Akito pulled away and saw the fear on her face and in her posture. He let go of her hands and her thigh, sinking to the floor of the shower with her. Pulling her into his lap, he wrapped his arms around her small frame and began to stroke her head. "Natsumi, shhh, it's just me. Everything's okay." He soothed, beginning to rock her back and forth slightly. It must have been the way he had been holding her that caused her to freak out. He filed this knowledge away for later, deciding to make a conscious effort to remember what it was he could and could not do with her. She wept silently in her arms, burying her face in her hands.

"I'm sorry." She sobbed out, leaning into him, needing his comfort. "I didn't mean…I just…I'm sorry." She curled into herself, letting the hot water and the beating of his heart sooth her.

"Do not apologize when you have nothing to apologize for. It's okay." He said, rubbing up and down her arm. "It was my fault." She stayed quiet after that, just resting in his arms until she could finally stop crying. She was just glad that the shower was helping to hide her tears. She didn't enjoy making him sad and she noticed when she cried he looked completely broken.

"I think I'm ok now," she whispered, staying put in his lap.

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking down at her.

She nodded, "Yeah, I think so."

He stood, picking her up in his arms and cradling her to him. After turning off the water, he stepped out into the now steamy bathroom and grabbed a towel, draping it across her. He took her into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. Then he began to dry her off. "Look on the bright side, at least we're clean." He joked, the corner of his mouth tilting up in a grin.

She laughed softly. Finally she started to loosen up from her tense state. "Yeah I guess so. I promise, I'll make it up to you." She smiled up at him, wrapping herself in the towel and snuggling into its warmth.

"Hm." He said, ruffling her wet hair and messing it up, causing her to squeal and giggle in delight. "No rush." He kissed her forehead, getting up to grab himself a towel in order to dry off. He looked to the window in their room, and guessed that they had probably wasted an hour. But it didn't matter, as long as they left before lunch. "Hurry up and get dressed. I want to take you out to breakfast before heading out." He said, tossing his damp towel in her face before walking over to the pack and pulling out some clothes.

"Yay! Breakfast! I'm hungry!" she cheered, pulling off the towel from her head. She finished drying and then got up, getting dressed in her normal travel attire. She packed the rest of her things in her bag and pulled on her shoes just as Akito finished packing his things as well. She put her pack on her back and jumped over to him, latching onto his arm. "Let's go! Let's go!"

He smiled down at her. She was so cute when she got excited. They went downstairs and checked out of the hotel, then headed for a small café that specialized in its breakfast foods. The host sat them at a table, and their drinks were ordered quickly. "Are you going to get pancakes again?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" she said happily, seeming to be swaying to a tune in her own head. "Pretty please."

Their waitress appeared then, a kind looking elderly woman. "What can I get you dears to eat this morning?" she asked, looking between the two. Akito nodded in Natsumi's direction, signaling that she was to take her order first, since it was polite to let the lady go first.

"Pancakes please. And chocolate milk. With lots of bacon. Maybe fifteen pieces? Is that ok? I might get fat, but it's just so yummy!" she smiled at the woman who couldn't help but give her one back. She was like a ray of sunshine. Then she looked at Akito, who was gazing at Natsumi tenderly.

"I will also have the pancakes, with two fried eggs, a side of hash browns, and some sausage please." He said. The woman nodded and went back to the kitchen to get their order started. He rested his head in his hand, placing his elbow on the table as he gave the pink haired woman a contemplative look. "I've never liked someone as much as I like you." He said, sounding as if he had just realized it. She blinked and looked up from her fascination with the menu, giving him a tentative smile.

"That's probably because we had sex last night."

He shook his head. "No, I liked you before that. Although, the sex did increase my liking of you greatly." He said, smirking.

"Told you," she pointed out, looking around the restaurant at all the knick knacks.

He looked out the window, and noticed a photo booth in the shop across the street. A brilliant idea hit him then, and a smile came to his face as their food was set in front of them. "Here you go dears, let me know if I can get you anything else." The old woman said.

"Thank you." Akito began to drizzle syrup across his pancakes.

"Thank you very much." Natsumi said, digging into her own and stuffing the fluffy hot pancake in her mouth. She stopped and started on her bacon, occupied with eating. It didn't take her long to finish it all off. Her stomach was like a black hole and she seemed to be able to eat anything.

Once they finished eating Akito paid the bill and led Natsumi from the restaurant. When he headed across the street instead of towards the village exit, Natsumi looked up at him in confusion. "Where are we going?" she asked.

He looked down at her. "I have another surprise for you." He said.

"Another surprise? What is it?" she asked, looking around the area, trying to figure out what it was he was taking her too. Then he pulled her into a colorful booth and sat her down on his lap. "What is this thing?"

He began to press a few buttons, and inserted some money into it. "It's a photo booth. It's going to take our picture a few times and then give them to us. I thought you'd like some." He explained, selecting the picture styles he thought would be the best.

"A picture?" she smiled brightly, looking at the lens and then the screen that projected back at them. "Of me and you together?" she hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek lovingly.

He smiled. "Yes. Now get ready to pose." He said.

"How should I? I can smile, but you have to smile too." She giggled, flashing the camera one of her beautiful smiles. She reached one arm around him and pressed her fingers to his cheeks, making him smile. The camera flashed, taking the picture, which actually looked pretty good.

"Now a silly one." He said, contorting his face in an uncharacteristic manner. She did the same, trying not to burst into laughter. It snapped just in time before she burst into the uncontrolled giggled.

He smiled genuinely at the sound of her happiness, and the camera captured both of their real smiles perfectly. Since they only had one picture left, Akito wanted it to be special. Faster than Natsumi could realize what was going on, he pressed his lips to hers in a sweet kiss. Unconsciously, she wrapped her arms around him and twisted in his lap to get a better angle as his hand wove into her hair. There was a beep, signaling that their photos were being printed, and the two broke apart. Akito reached out and picked up both copies of the pictures, holding one out to her. "Here is your copy." He said.

She gasped, taking them eagerly and looking at each. "These are amazing." She smiled, leaning towards him and pointing to the one where they were both laughing. "This one's my favorite." She said, resting her head on his shoulder. "Then this one." She tapped the one where they were kissing. It was absolutely perfect, looking soft yet passionate at the same time. "Thank you." She finally said, staring up at him.

He kissed her. "You're welcome. Now let's get going. We're only two days away from Konoha." He said, exiting the booth.

"Then we should hurry. I want to see where you live." She snickered, poking his stomach and then putting her pictures away safely, so they wouldn't get damaged. She took his hand and headed out of the village with him, intent on getting to Konoha as soon as they could.

* * *

They were pretty deep in the forest and it was early morning. Akito had said that by night fall they would be at the gates of Konoha. Natsumi was so excited she could hardly wait. They had come so far and she wanted to see the village. She clapped her hands together and looked back at him. "Oh Akito look! I've been practicing hard!" she ran forward and focused on the chakra in her feet and attaching to the tree. She ran up the side and then leapt with amazing dexterity to the next branch and then the next, going ahead of him and almost out of sight.

He sighed and jumped into the trees, running to catch up to her. "Natsumi, don't go any farther ahead. Just because we are in Fire doesn't mean people won't try to hurt you." he warned. Suddenly he felt a spike in chakra that wasn't his or hers, and activated his sharingan. Seeing the barrage of kunai that were headed straight for the carefree girl, he realized that he would be unable to knock her out of the way in time. Sending extra chakra to his feet, he was next to her in an instant and shoved her against the trunk of the tree they were on, protecting her with his body. They made eye contact right before the kunai embedded themselves in his back. He winced at the extreme pain, and blood trickled down the corners of his mouth.

Natsumi looked absolutely horrified, but Akito just smiled at her. "I…told you to be careful." He wheezed. Then he pushed off the tree and turned slowly as four men wearing Mist headbands appeared on a nearby tree, revealing his back to Natsumi and the many kunai sticking out of it.

"Well looky here boys. Seems we caught ourselves the one and only Uchiha Akito." A man with blue hair snickered.

A man with orange hair tilted his head to the side in order to look behind Akito. "Who's that pretty lady you got with you, huh Uchiha? I think I'm going to have some fun with her once we kill you."

"Touch her and you die." Akito said, taking a kunai out of his pouch. He moved to attack them, but wound up kneeling on the branch and letting out a pained noise. Because there were so many kunai in his back, and some went pretty deep, he couldn't move effectively to protect Natsumi, or to kill the other ninja. "Damn." He muttered.

Before he could stand, the man who had first spoken, whom Akito assumed was the leader, was in front of him and kicked him square in the jaw, causing him to fly to the side a bit and then hit the ground. "I'm a little disappointed, I didn't think he'd be this easy to kill." He said, and then looked over at Natsumi, who was frozen, wide eyed, against the trunk of the tree. "Come here girly, let's play." He sneered, reaching out for her.

His wrist stopped in midair before it could touch her pale flesh. Her eyes were narrowed, for the first time into an icy glare that had only been seen on one person before. The infamous Sabaku no Gaara. The mist shinobi looked down, seeing sand wrapped around his wrist. It pulled him down, forcing him to his knees. She smirked evilly, a dark flicker in her pale jade eyes. She pulled out the kunai Akito had given her and held it to his throat.

"Oh my god." He gasped, seeing the golden grains that were swimming around her. "You…you're her! The lost daughter of the sand demon!" before anything more could be said she slit his throat without any hesitation. The other three gasped and looked at her, crouching down into defensive poses. She kicked the dead man off the branch and pulled off her pack, dropping it down to the ground as well.

"You are all going to pay for hurting Akito." She said, glancing up and then pushing off the branch, her sand solidifying into ropes that shot forward and wrapped around all them, dragging them to the forest floor. She landed gracefully on her feet and released them, moving her hands quickly. The sand sharpened into stakes and impaled one of the men to a tree where he lasted only a few minutes.

The other two ran at her, drawing swords. She dodged, surprisingly well and swung her leg around, slamming it into the back of the blonde one's head. He fell forward losing his grip on his sword which she caught and ran him through with the blade. She pulled it out and let him fall lifelessly to the floor as she turned to the last one. He looked afraid but stood his ground. He ran at her and the two clashed, metal scraping against metal. It lasted awhile but as well as focusing on the sword, Natsumi had slipped sand beneath his feet. He slipped finally and she slashed upwards, blood spraying from the found and covering her front with splatter. She shielded her eyes the best she could and when she lowered her arm he was on the ground, dead. She dropped the sword quickly and ran back to Akito, starting to pull out the kunai.

"Akito! Akito!" she cried out, feeling her tears stream down her face, mixing with the blood. She managed to get all of them out quickly, but he was just bleeding so much. She tried to wipe at her eyes to clear her blurred vision which only smeared the blood further. She took out her kunai and cut his shirt, turning his head to face her, since he had to stay on his stomach. "Please Akito!" she sobbed out, examining the damage. His eyes were closed and he didn't make a move to show he was conscious. "Oh my god. You're losing too much blood." She said to herself. She vaguely remembered him saying something about medical jutsu. Something that medics learned. They could heal wounds with their hands. She didn't know if she could do it, but Akito said she had a lot of chakra. An abnormal amount actually. She placed her hands on the center of his back and closed his eyes, still crying.

"Please." She whispered. "Please work." She cried. "Please, please, please! Just work!" she yelled now, on the verge of hysteria. _Just give him my chakra. I just want him to have it, maybe it can work, just give it to him!_ She screamed at herself. Suddenly she felt drained and weak. It felt like her energy was leaving her at a rapid pace. Before she could feel herself lose it all she ripped her hands away from him and fell backwards, panting.

Natsumi sat up, holding her head in her hand. She looked at Akito's back and gasped. A bulk of the wounds were gone. At least the wounds where her hands had been and the surrounding area were gone. "I did it?" she blinked, a little confused.

Akito's eyes fluttered open, but he was still pale and weak from losing so much blood. "It's in your blood." He croaked. "Your mother was a famous medical ninja."

She seemed in awe. "Really…?" she wondered, but before she could let her mind wander she got up and ran over to his bag. She came back over and pulled out the bandages and healing cream, beginning to tend to his wounds. She finished and sighed. She'd used too many and his whole torso looked like a wrapped mummy. "Are you ok? Can I get you anything?" she asked, slowly turning him over and resting his head in her lap.

He nodded, and it seemed like he was trying to say something. Unable to hear him clearly, Natsumi leaned down until her face was close to his. Suddenly his hand came up and gripped the back of her head, pulling her down towards him and kissing her fiercely. He let go of her head so that she could pull away, a crooked smile on his face. "Much better." She smiled down at him, showering his face with kisses.

She caressed his cheek with her fingers and then pulled away, carefully moving from under him. She laid him down and ran over to her own bag. She brought it over and put it on, grabbing Akito's. She looked down at him and waved her hand through the air to control her grains. The ground moved beneath him and picked him up like a stretcher. "Ok, let's find a less littered area to camp for the time being. Plus some water, I've got blood all over me." She sighed, walking off.

It wasn't too much longer till the came to a small river with some dry, flat ground. She helped her sand set him down and got to work on setting up his tent. It took her a bit since she had only ever watched him do it but finally it was ready to be used. She laid down his pallet and helped him into the tent since he was still very sore and damaged. "Now you rest. I'm going to go wash, alright?"

"Be careful." He said. "I don't want to lose you." He brought a hand up and stroked her cheek tenderly.

She held his hand with her own, keeping it pressed against her bloody cheek. "You won't I promise. I'll be safe. You just rest and I'll make you something to eat and get you some water." She leaned over and kissed him once more, before pulling away and leaving the tent.

He laid back and shut his eyes, letting out a sigh. He was completely exhausted, and just because of the blood loss. In that moment, he swore to himself to be more careful. He had allowed the past week and a half of no threats to make him careless in his protecting of Natsumi. He had never been more scared in his life than when he had realized he couldn't protect her from those men. Although, she had surprised him when she fought against them so well. He supposed it was her nightly training that she had done before beginning to sleep. Ever since they had made love, she slept with him every night, and he really liked it. With a small smile on his face, Akito drifted into unconsciousness.

Natsumi had finished bathing, wetting a piece of torn cloth. She had caught some fish in the river and was cooking them over an open fire now. She went back into the tent, seeing Akito was asleep. As careful as she could, she unwrapped his bandages and cleaned off all the blood that was on his body. When she was done, she wrapped his wounds once more, heading back out into the evening air. She sat down by the fire and pulled up some grass as she waited for the fish to cook.

She couldn't help but think about Akito and how hurt he was. It was all her fault. She had to be better, for him. He had only gotten injured because he was protecting her. She ran one of her hands through her damp hair and leaned forward, pulling her knees to her chest. Then she let her mind drift to what she had done to those men. She had killed them for Akito. She was enraged when she saw him hurt. But that meant…she stopped her thought quickly. No, she wouldn't think that until he said it. It was best not to dwell on things until she had at least some kind of evidence.

Waking up from the smell of the fish cooking, Akito opened his eyes and saw that it was already dark. He struggled to sit up, and when he did he noticed that she had redone his bandages. He shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe that he had been so out of it he had let someone touch him without realizing it. Or, perhaps it was that he trusted her so completely to let her do it without suspecting her of having an ulterior motive.

He stood and walked to the opening of the tent. Pulling back the flap, he walked over to the fire, hiding his pain and stiffness behind his stoic mask. "Hey." He said, sitting on a stump across from Natsumi.

She blinked, trying to comprehend the fact he was up. She stood and rushed over to him, steadying his shoulders. "What are you doing up? I told you to rest." She scolded, helping him up. "You need to lie down."

He waved off her concern. "I'm fine." He said stubbornly.

She huffed and then got an idea. "How about, you go lie down and I'll dress down into your favorite underwear and feed you your dinner." She smirked deviously, trying anything to get him to take it easy.

His eyes sparked in interest, and he looked up at her, his expression that of a child told he could have seconds on dessert. "Really?"

"Mhm." She nodded, giving him a sultry look. "Only if you go and lie down until tomorrow morning." She wagged her finger in his face.

Holding in a sigh of defeat, Akito stood from his seat on the stump. Then he walked back over to the tent. Looking over his shoulder at her, he said, "Don't take too long. It's very boring in there." Then he disappeared into the tent.

"I won't." she promised. When he disappeared, she quickly pulled off her shirt and shorts, being left in only her lacy underwear. She grabbed her bag and dug through it finding something Chigusa had gotten her. She stripped down and pulled on the black sheer underwear. There was a flower made of rhinestones over the front of the panties. She put on the matching bra, which had sheer hanging from the bottom, splitting in front so her belly button was showing. She stuffed the rest of her things in the bag and threw it into the tent without letting him see her. She ran back to the fire and picked up the sticks the fish were on.

She put out the fire and then headed into the tent to see Akito already had a lamp lit, giving the tent a warm glow. "Dinner is served." She offered with a seductive smile, showing off her body.

He stared openly at her, his eyes slightly widened in awe. "I don't remember buying you something like _that_." He said, watching as she sauntered over to him.

"You didn't." she smirked. "Chigusa got it for me." She sat beside him, folding her legs under her and offering him one of the charred fish. "Enjoy." She said as he took it from her. "Oh hold on," she leaned forward, placing her palms on the ground, making her breasts stick out as she took a deep breath. "Let me cool that off for you." She smiled, blowing slowly on the hot fish.

He licked his lips, his gaze not on the fish, but on her luscious breasts. He didn't know if he would be able to get through this dinner with his sanity intact if he didn't get to see her naked by the end of it. "Thank…you." He said softly when she was done, watching her sit back down. She shrugged and took a bite out of her own, smiling happily.

Akito ate his fish, laying the empty stick aside when he was done. He turned his head in order to look at Natsumi, and raised a questioning brow. "So…is there a particular reason Chigusa bought that for you?"

Natsumi shrugged, placing her stick down as well. "I dunno she just said that I had the most flawless form she'd ever seen and I needed get something that would accentuate it. She was really funny." She laughed.

"Hm." He said, giving her a contemplative look. "I don't think it does you justice." He turned and looked up at the ceiling of the tent then, suppressing a smirk.

She blinked and looked down, tugging at the sheer. "Really? I thought it was nice."

"Oh it's nice, don't get me wrong. But personally, I think you look best naked." He let his smirk show then, as he turned his head to face her. She blushed, fumbling nervously now with the sheer.

"Oh well. I don't want to tempt you since you need to rest. You shouldn't be moving."

"I don't have to move, you can do all the work if you want to." He said, reaching out and rubbing her knee. Then he looked back up at her. "What do you say Natsumi, do you want to be on top?" he asked. If she said yes, he wondered if she would fully understand the control he was giving her. She would dictate what happened and how fast, not to mention that he would be completely vulnerable to her and anything she wanted.

She pursed her lips together and looked off, poking her fingers together. "Well I suppose. But you need to relax and take it easy. No being all dominant and taking over ok?" she looked back at him, unclipping the hook in the front of her bra.

"I promise." He said, just happy that he was going to get what he wanted.

She took a deep breath and pulled it off, tossing the undergarments aside. She crawled over to him, unbuttoning his pants and sliding them off, grabbing his boxers as well. He was already shirtless so it didn't take much. She hooked her thumbs under her panties and slid them off, placing herself between his legs. "Now remember, you have to stay rested." She gave him a scolding look. She placed her hands on his thighs and did something he was not expecting.

Akito almost sat up in utter shock, feeling her mouth take in his full length. "Oh God." He breathed out, fisting his hands in her hair, needing some sort of anchor to the sane world. It was taking every fiber in his being to not do anything and just let her work her magic. Never in a million years would he have guessed that she's do something like this to him.

After a while of her ministrations she sat up, taking a deep breath and wiping her mouth. She crawled up his body, watching his face carefully. She laughed, he had a small pink blush on his cheeks, which showed that she had done well. She adjusted herself over him and slid onto him quickly, relishing the feel. It was so hot inside of her. "Now remember. Rest." She told him, moving her hips up before quickly coming back down on him, repeating the actions as she picked up speed. She lowered down kissing up his neck and nibbling the spot just below his ear.

He brought his hands up and gripped her breasts, rubbing them as she continued to ride him. He had to do something, just laying there and taking it was too difficult. His thumbs began to circle her nipples, and he buried his face in the crook of her neck. "Natsumi." He moaned, scrunching his eyes as she ground against him before slamming back down onto his shaft.

She gasped, moaning loudly into his ear as he increased the pressure. "I thought I told you not to do anything." She murmured, grinding against him harder, increasing her own pleasure. She could feel him hitting a spot that literally was sending shivers up her spine. "Oh god," she gripped onto his shoulders trying to hold onto her mind that was quickly going. She lifted her hips and slammed down harder, wanting to make him feel just as good as she was.

"Moving my arms and hands…isn't going to hurt my wounds." He got out, laying his head back and looking up into her face. "Besides, you like it." His face contorted into one of pure pleasure then, as she twisted her hips a bit while continuing her movements. She bit down on her lower lip.

"Shut up." She panted, another soft moan escaping her lips. She rested her forehead on his, feeling the heat buildup once more. Her release was coming and she was ready this time. She cupped his face tenderly and kissed him deeply. "Fill me up." She whispered hungrily.

At her words he released inside of her, not having a choice and not able to hold it back any longer. He groaned, squeezing her soft mounds almost roughly in his ecstasy. She arched her back, moaning with him. It just felt so good to have him inside her. She almost collapsed on top of him but caught herself with her arms, placing her hands on either side of his head. She fell beside him after lifting off him and tried to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and rested one of her hands on her stomach. "Wow…"

He looked over and smiled at her. "You're telling me. I may just have to get injured more often." He joked, reaching out and pulling her against his side, being careful not to aggravate his wounds. She nodded, mumbling something incoherent but was already drifting off into sleep as she had the time before. Akito reached over and turned off the lantern, pulling up the covers before settling himself next to her. "Goodnight Natsumi." He murmured, closing his eyes and letting the darkness take him.


	9. Konoha

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Nine_

-Konoha-

Natsumi gasped once the gates of Konoha came into view. "Oh wow! They look amazing!" she yelled, running forward, eager to be inside of the village.

Akito grabbed her wrist, halting her movements. "Natsumi, just because we are in my home village doesn't mean we're safe. People still might try and take you." He warned. Since her mother had originally been born in Konoha, practically everyone who saw Natsumi would know who she was, and a letter would be sent to Suna immediately. He just couldn't risk that happening.

He picked the pink haired woman up in his arms and looked down at her. "Come, I'll show you my house." Then he ran at full speed, so that no one would be able to see him or the precious cargo he carried. After he cleared the gates to the Uchiha District, he set her down, knowing they would be safe. It was so far from the rest of the village that there was no need to worry about being spotted, and his father was still away on that month long mission, so running into him wouldn't be a problem either. "This is where my clan lived, before they were all killed a long time ago." He said, taking her hand and leading her through the streets towards his home.

She stopped, making him stop as well. "Your whole family was murdered?" she asked, looking at him sadly.

"Yeah, but it was way before I was born, when my father was a little kid. It's a long story." He said, resuming their walk towards his house.

"Oh." She blinked and followed after him. "Well it's still sad. I'm sorry. That must have been awful." Finally they came up to a prestigious Japanese style house. Natsumi stepped forward when he stopped, completely wide eyed. "Wow! This is where you live!" she tried to take in the whole thing, but it was just so large. She looked over, and not too far off was a similar house. "Who lives there?" she pointed, looking back at him curiously.

"My father. But he isn't home right now, he's off on a mission. Should be back in a few days, now that I think about it." He said.

"Can I meet him when he come home?" she asked, becoming animated.

He shook his head. "No, I don't think that's a good idea."

Her brow scrunched in confusion. "Why not?"

"Well…" he quickly thought of a lie. "You see, he knew your mother, and he didn't really like her. He also hated your father, with a passion. I can't guarantee that he won't attack and try to kill you when he sees you, because of who your parents were, and I would rather not risk it."

"Oh…" she looked down sadly, "Well ok, I guess. But maybe he would like me. Just maybe. You never know." She smiled up at him hopefully.

The corner of his mouth tilted up reassuringly. "Well I like you." Then he unlocked and opened his front door, revealing the inside of his home to her. "Here it is. Home sweet home, if you want to call it that." Successfully distracted from the conversation she hurried inside and marveled at all the things she saw. It was nothing like the Daimyo's mansion. It was so comforting and clean and maybe because it was Akito's she felt safe.

He took her to the bedroom and showed her his king sized bed where she would be sleeping with him. He'd been sleeping with her for weeks now and he had no intention of stopping that, especially since their night activities had become more heated. And he most certainly liked that. She was absolutely intoxicating when she was beneath him. "It's so nice!" she exclaimed moving around the room and touching the furniture to inspect it. She fell down onto the bed and snuggled into the soft comforter. "This is great, much better than anything we've slept on before."

"Well Uchihas settle for nothing other than the best, and you are no exception." Akito told her, walking over and unpacking his bag. He pulled open a drawer in his dresser and took out the clothes that were there. Then he placed them in another one, along with what was already in it. "You can put some of your clothes in here." He said, looking over at her. "And the ones you want to hang up, just put in the closet with mine. If the drawer isn't enough room, I can always buy you your own dresser." She got up and grabbed her bag from the floor, beginning to mimic his actions.

She placed her things in his dresser and then hung a few of the more delicate items up. "No, I think this'll be fine, unless I acquire more clothes over time." She smiled and then walked over to the bathroom, examining it. It was beautiful and she was glad to call it her own. A thought struck her then. "This is all mine to use right?" she asked, looking back at him. Not wanting to step out of bounds.

"Natsumi, my house is your house. What's mine is yours, etcetera, etcetera. Use whatever you wish." He said, piling clothes into his laundry basket. She sat back down on the edge of her new bed, crossing her legs. She leaned back on the palms of her hands and gave him a once over.

"So…" she smoothed her hands over the cloth and looked off. "Has anyone else been on this bed with you?"

He gave her a pointed look, knowing where she was going with her question. She was so easy to read, after all. "No." he answered simply.

She nodded and glanced back at him. "So your bed has never had a woman on it before?"

He shook his head as a negative. "No."

"Then don't you think it'll need to be broken in tonight?" she arched a delicate brow.

He smiled at her. "Well, I assumed you'd want to do something of the like in order to get fully used to your new bed. Because I can guarantee you've never slept in a softer, more comfortable bed in your entire life."

She clapped her hands together, letting a beautiful smile come to her face. "Well why you do laundry. I'm going to explore the house." She got up and hurried from the room, beginning her tour. She would not miss anything, she needed to memorize her new home and he was going to be busy anyways.

Akito let a small smile come to his face as he put in his laundry. One of the great things about wearing all black was that it never took him too long to wash it, since he could do it in one load. He wondered what it would be like to live with Natsumi. Technically they had been doing that the past two weeks, but traveling with someone was completely different than having them stay in your home. He had never let anyone stay with him before, not even his best friends. Hopefully he wouldn't get annoyed with her or anything, though he doubted that would happen. He enjoyed her company far too much. Once the laundry was started, he walked into the living room and looked around for her. "Natsumi? Where are you?" he called.

There was no answer, and it didn't sound like she was in the house at all. There was no sound of footsteps or her laughter, which he had heard throughout her entire exploration. Slightly worried, he ran to his back door and went outside into the backyard. His was a large one, with a training field on one side, and a garden with a small koi pond on the other. "Natsumi?" he called again, looking around.

She came out from the side of the house, looking over at him. "Yes? Is something wrong?" she asked, seeing the worried look on his face.

"Nothing, I was just concerned about your wellbeing." He said, blushing at being caught acting anything but cool and collected. She walked back to him and joined him on the porch, smiling up at him.

"It's ok to show your feelings to me." She laughed, touching his arm tenderly. "I promise not to tell, who would I tell anyways?" She smiled, reassuring him. She liked when she saw things other than his collected and calmness.

He reached out and stroked her cheek tenderly. "Alright. I was afraid that you had been taken away from me." He admitted, tracing her lips with his thumb and dropping his hand. She smiled and hugged him tightly, resting her cheek against his chest.

"No one's been successful yet."

He returned her embrace, kissing the top of her head in the process. "No one will be either." He said seriously. Then he pulled away from her. "So what do you think of my home?" he asked, curious, since he had never really cared what anyone else had thought before, but for some reason with her he did.

She smiled brightly. "I really love it. I can't believe I get to live here with you. And not have to do anything. I can do whatever I want." She said happily, just exhilarated.

"Well you'll be expected to pull your weight now missy. I won't baby you as much anymore." He scolded, the corner of his mouth tilting up to show that he was just playing.

She held him tighter and looked up into his deep green eyes. "I'll make you dinner. Since you just started laundry."

"If you want to. I'm going to train for a while." He said, kissing her forehead.

She nodded and released him from her grasp. She walked into the house and started searching for things to cook for him. In her search she found an apron, that was somewhat small and she assumed it was something he had as a kid. But it seemed to fit her just nice, it was black and covered her clothes, going down further than her shorts. It stopped just mid-thigh and tied around her waist tightly. True to his words, he went into the training room and started his exercises. Natsumi pulled out some frying pans and began to get dinner started. From what she could find, she was going to make some yakisoba with chicken and some sesame green beans. She filled a pot with water and started to heat it. She placed the noodles in the fryer and started their dinner adding the proper spices at the right time. Something she had always known how to do was cook. It was like it was in her blood.

Once everything was nearly finished she headed into the hall to go find Akito and tell him it was almost ready. She stood in the doorway to the large training room and smiled at what she saw. Akito was training very vigorously, sharpening his taijutsu and he happened to be shirtless while doing so. She leaned against the door frame and watched him until he finally stopped and looked over at her. "Is dinner ready?" he asked, panting slightly from his training.

She nodded and pulled away from the door, "So I guess just come in when you're ready." She shrugged with a small smile and headed back to the kitchen to finish up some last minute things. She took the food off the burners and started to prepare their plates.

Akito came in about five minutes later, hair still dripping from the quick shower he had taken. "It smells great." He complimented, sitting down at the table.

"Thanks, I've always seemed to have a knack for cooking." She said simply, picking up both the plates and setting one down in front of him. She filled two glasses of water and set one down in front of him as well. She untied the apron she was wearing and hung it on one of the wall hooks. Finally she took her seat next to him, broke her chopsticks, and started eating. It tasted delicious, she hadn't had her own cooking in a long while and she was glad she could get some.

"Excellent." He said after swallowing his first bite. Usually he had to cook for himself, or go out to eat. Usually it was the first, since whenever he left the complex he was mauled by fan girls. And as a child he had to cook for his father as well, since the elder Uchiha couldn't cook a meal to save his life. So he had taken lessons from Minako's mother. It was just nice to eat someone else's cooking.

She blinked and looked over at him, "Really?" she asked, looking surprised. Sure, she had had to cook for the daimyo but she had seen him eat some pretty disgusting things and surmised his tastes were not the high. He would eat a dirt pie if someone told him it was chocolate, and she would know, because she had tried it once. She almost threw up when she watched him shovel it down.

Akito looked over at her. "Of course. It's delicious." He told her, eating another bite. She smiled and continued eating as well, enjoying his company. Was this how it was going to be for the rest of her life? She would get to live here with Akito and cook him dinner while he trained and protected her from bad people who would try and take her away from him.

"I'm happy," she said, staring off as she continued to eat. He smiled slightly.

"I'm glad."

She glanced back at him and smiled, finishing off her food. "Thank you for making me happy."

He rose, picking up his plate and hers and heading to the sink to wash the dishes. "Think nothing of it. It makes me happy to make you happy." He said, blushing slightly. She got up as well and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him from behind.

"Then I guess we are both happy." She nuzzled into him affectionately, before pulling away and heading towards the door. "Well I'll be getting ready for bed." She told him before disappearing down the hall.

He finished the dishes and went back to his room, turning off the lights as he walked through the house. When he got to his bedroom Natsumi was in the bathroom, so he just pulled off his shirt and pants. Then he pulled back the sheets, feeling a bit of excitement to sleep in his bed for the first time in a long time. And share it with Natsumi, making it their bed. He liked the sound of that. Natsumi came out from the bathroom then, successfully making Akito go wide eyed.

She was wearing a new lingerie outfit made out of red lace. The panties just barely covered her private area, and the bra covered the only the necessary area, its straps went off her shoulders with a bit of cloth flare. It tied together between her breasts in a pretty bow, with lace fabric running down and over the panties. It was split, so it revealed all of her stomach, and continued around her back. She leaned against the door frame, letting out a long sigh. Her hair was ruffled a bit, giving it volume. She smiled at him. "All of my sleeping clothes are in the wash, so I just threw something on. I hope you don't mind."

"The only time I would mind what you wore to bed is if it covered your entire body." He said, giving her a crooked smile.

She smiled, giggling softly. "Well then." She ran over to their new bed and pounced on him, straddling his waist. "Let's break in this bed." She leaned down, pressing her lips against his, grinding her hips against his.

He placed his hands on her hips and returned her kiss, falling back on the bed so that she was straddling him. His hands began to trail up her sides slowly, until they were cupping her perfectly sized breasts. "I couldn't have thought of a better way to break in this bed." He murmured against her lips, kissing her thoroughly.

She snickered, "Good, then let's get to it." She said, reaching over and grabbing the string of the lamp on his bedside table. The light went out and the only thing that could be heard that night at the Uchiha house were the sounds of pleasured screams.

* * *

Natsumi sat on the porch out in the back, watching the fish swim. It had been four days since she arrived at Akito's house. It was so nice, she got to do nothing all day, sleep with Akito at night. It was simply amazing. Though she wondered when he would take her into the village to see other people. Not that being with him wasn't amazing, but she was curious as to what it was like to have friends and walk around in the sunlight surrounded by people.

Akito came out onto the porch then and kissed her cheek. "Hey." He said, sitting down next to her.

"Hello." She smiled, leaning against him.

He looked out at the fish. "I'm going to go and get some more groceries, since we're almost out." He told her. Her eyes brightened and she looked up at him.

"Can I come with you?" she asked, looking hopeful. He shook his head, causing the look to fall off of her face.

"It's best if I go alone and scope things out. You know, see if it is safe for you to come out around the town." He lied, looking down at her. She sighed and pulled away from him.

"Ok," she said, sounding sad. She got up and walked into the garden, looking around at the beautiful flowers. An idea struck her and a small smirk crept up her face but she quickly hid it. "Alright," she looked back at him and smiled. "Take your time. I'll probably work on some taijutsu while you're gone. And can you bring back some strawberries?"

He rose. "Of course." He said, glad that she let it drop so quickly. It would take him a bit longer to buy groceries, since he had to get some for his father as well, who had just come back from his mission the day before. "I'll be back later." he told her.

"I'll walk you out." She offered, running back up to him and taking hold of his arm. She walked with him to the front door and waved after him as he left. She smirked deviously and ran back into the house, intent on showering and changing into something more proper. After all, she was about to break the rules.

* * *

Akito walked down the street with four very large bags of groceries. It hadn't taken him too long to buy any of the groceries, but he'd had to dodge his fan girls the whole time. They just didn't know when to quit.

He walked into his house and went straight to the kitchen, setting the groceries down on the counter. "Natsumi, I'm home!" he called, putting away some of the fruit. When he didn't hear a response, he walked out into the backyard. "Natsumi?" he called once more, looking around the garden. Growing worried, he ran throughout the house, looking for the pink haired woman. Not seeing her anywhere, he began to panic.

"Calm down Akito, and use your head." He told himself, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. He stretched out his chakra, trying to sense her presence, if it was near. His eyes shot open, and his head swerved in the direction of his father's house. No.

He picked up the groceries that he'd gotten for the eldest Uchiha, and walked in the direction of the house leisurely, in order to calm down. Because at the moment, he was feeling a mixture of fear and anger. How could she break the rules like that? He had specifically told her not to go over there, and she had disobeyed him. He was furious. But at the same time, he was afraid of what would happen, now that his father knew of Natsumi. Would he tell anyone? Would he kill her? One never knew when it came to Uchiha Sasuke.

Akito let himself into the house and walked back towards the kitchen. His father's house had a similar layout to his own, but was a lot more traditional, similar to the one he'd had as a boy, before the clan was murdered. He could hear laughter coming from the kitchen, and knew at least that Natsumi was alright. He stopped in the doorway and took in the scene. There sat his father and Natsumi at the kitchen table, drinking tea and eating cakes, which he assumed she made. His father looked up at him then and smirked. "Hello Akito, I've just been having the most interesting conversation with your friend here." Sasuke said.

"Hn." He just walked over and set down the bags. Natsumi went wide eyed, looking over at Akito. She could tell by his demeanor and the fact his lips were pressed in a tight grimace that he was angry. She set her cup down and looked at him, trying to appear sorry.

"I'm sorry Akito. I know you told me not to but I really wanted to meet your dad. And I really like him. He's very nice and he even made me tea while I made us some cake. We've had a really fun time. I hope you're not too mad."

He turned away from them and began to put away the groceries, ignoring her for them moment. Did she not understand how scared he had been? He'd thought she'd been taken away, or that she'd gone off wandering and gotten lost, then taken away. But he didn't want to show any emotion in front of his father, for he feared the elder man would think him weak.

Little did he know that Sasuke could read his son like a book, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. "Akito." He said, causing his son to turn and look at him.

"Yes father?" he asked tersely.

"Natsumi was speaking to you. I know I taught you better manners than that." Sasuke said, the corner of his mouth tilting upwards.

Akito let out a sigh and shut his eyes, fighting down the blush of shame that was making its way across his face at being treated like a child in front of Natsumi. He opened his eyes and looked over at her. "I am not that angry, but we will discuss it later." Then he went back to putting away the groceries. She blinked and watched him, frowning. She looked back at Sasuke and bowed her head apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't supposed to leave the house. I didn't mean to make him so upset."

Sasuke gave her a reassuring look. "Oh he's not really that upset. It's just that you make him feel human." He said, glancing over at his son humorously.

"Well you would know all about that, wouldn't you father." Akito said bitterly, getting out a glass and filling it with water.

"More so than you. I bet you ran around like a chicken without a head when you came home to an empty house." Sasuke told him, leaning back in his chair.

Akito just leaned against the counter and looked outside, embarrassed. "Ch."

"See, he answers like that when he can't think of anything to say, or is just embarrassed." The elder Uchiha whispered to Natsumi, loud enough so that his son could hear as well. Akito ignored him, however. He would not fall prey to his father's bait. She giggled a bit and looked over at Akito. He did seem a bit uneasy and flustered.

"Well," she stood up and took Sasuke hands in her own, smiling at him. "I think he wants to talk to you alone. Thank you for having me, I hope we can have tea sometime soon." She laughed and then pulled away from him. She looked over at Akito and waved him farewell. "I'll see you at home." She said before leaving the house. When she was gone, Sasuke's kind expression vanished instantly and was replaced with irritation.

"What the hell are you doing Akito? Do you know who that is?" he glared, stopping himself. "Of course you know who that is. She looks just like her mother and her father. That's _the_ Kazekage's daughter. Are you out of your mind?"

"No. But I found her, and I want to keep her. And if they find out she's alive and here, they'll take her away." Akito said, setting down his glass and standing.

Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose. "She's their daughter, Akito. Wouldn't you want to know, if the position were reversed?"

"I'd never lose my child or allow them to be kidnapped. Clearly they aren't good ninja or parents. I'm simply doing what they failed to do. I protect her and look after her." He explained.

"You slept with her, didn't you?" the elder Uchiha asked, raising a brow at his son.

"So."

Sasuke hit his hand on the table, smacking the wood. "Damnit Akito! What are you thinking? Does she even know her parents are alive? Or that she has a brother?"

"No, I never told her."

"Well when this all blows up in your face, don't come running to me. I know I raised you better than that. I won't say anything, because it isn't my place, but when that girl finds out you lied to her, she'll never forgive you. And I can say that honestly because she's Sakura's daughter." The elder said.

Akito glared at his father. "Well it won't. I have it all planned out carefully. Natsumi and I will stay in my house and live together for the rest of our lives. She makes me happy, and I make her happy." He said, storming out of the house. Sasuke just shook his head. This had nothing but disaster written all over it. But, perhaps this was his son's moment of stupidity and insanity. After all, every Uchiha had one.

* * *

Akito walked into his house and shut the door forcefully. Then he let out a sigh and looked around. "Natsumi?" he called, hoping she was there this time.

She came into the hall from the kitchen, holding a couple strawberries. One was in her mouth at the moment and she stopped in front of him, looking up at his face. "Yes?" she said, once she had swallowed the tart, juicy fruit.

He stroked her cheek and gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for earlier. It's just…when I came home and you weren't here…I was scared." He admitted. Screw his father, what did the old man know anyways? Nothing, that's what. She smiled, enjoying his touch, resting her cheek into his hand.

"I'm sorry. I just thought it would be nice to talk to someone and your dad was close by so I thought I would be safe. He was so nice. I wish you would have taken me to meet him." She said happily. "We talked about so much, he showed me a picture of you as a baby and you were so adorable. You're lucky to have such a nice dad. He was really kind. We could have him over that way you would be there and know about it."

He dropped his hand from her cheek, the smile leaving his face. "No. That man wouldn't know what being a kind, nice father was if it hit him in the face with flashing lights." He said, walking towards the kitchen in order to get something to snack on. The last person he wanted to see right now was his father, and he didn't know why Natsumi was talking about him right now.

Sensing his upset, she followed him and decided to change the subject. "Ok." She agreed quickly, watching his back. "Then can we go out to the village tomorrow? Like the park or something. I really want to see it."

He slammed one of the cabinets closed and turned on her, his sharingan activated from his anger. "No! You can't go out. I didn't even want you to leave this house and you did it anyway! I bet you'll just sneak out to go and see the town now, huh? Because you can't seem to obey me in the slightest. Well when you get kidnapped and raped, don't come crying to me!" he yelled.

She was wide eyed, pressed against the wall opposite of him, tears spilling from her eyes. "I-I'm s-s-sorry," she stuttered, sliding down the wall, looking absolutely terrified. She didn't know what to do. She had never felt this scared before in her life, other than when she was a little girl and her guard screamed at her if she disobeyed anything he said.

His eyes widened slightly and turned back to their natural color at the fear he saw in her eyes. He had never seen anyone so scared in their life, and suddenly he felt like the worst person in the world for being the thing that caused it. Natsumi had spent her life being told what to do, heck, she was even chained to a bed. And he had shown her freedom and then taken it away. Suddenly he loathed himself.

"Natsumi…" he said, taking a step towards her and holding his hand out.

She cringed, shutting her eyes tightly, as if she thought he was going to strike her. He walked up to her and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingertips. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me, I didn't mean it." He said softly, lowering his hand and looking completely broken.

"I p-promise I won't leave." She cried, not opening her eyes. "I'll s-stay and behave, j-just don't yell at me. I'm s-sorry." She sobbed, moving away from his touch. It only reminded her of what her guard had done after he punished her. He would stroke her face and her head and tell her what a good little princess she was. She shook violently, reliving the awful memories.

He stepped away from her, hating that he had hurt her so that she was afraid of him. "I'm sorry I yelled. I didn't mean it." He whispered, backing up until his back hit the counter. "Please don't be afraid of me." He felt like such a monster. He'd made such an innocent, happy, beautiful woman so sad, he was the lowest of the low.

She brought her knees to her chest and finally looked at him through tear filled eyes. He was so far away now, but she needed to be further. She was still afraid of him. He was just like the daimyo and his men. But she was more afraid of him than she ever was of them. She had seen firsthand just how strong he actually was. She reached up and slid the door to the hall open and hurried out of the room, seeing this as her only chance. She shut it quickly and ran down the hall, heading for the back yard. She was too afraid to leave his estate but she needed to be out of the house.

She threw the door open and collapsed to her knees on the soft grass by the pond. She took a deep breath before she started crying again. She was a prisoner again in a whole new way. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't leave, he would find her and bring her back. How could she have been so stupid to think he was trying to protect her? He just wanted to keep her here until she died.

Akito decided that she might want some time to herself, so he turned and began to make something to eat. He would make her dinner as a sign of apology. But he knew that wouldn't be enough for what he had done. He needed something more. He supposed he could take her out to see the village. He'd been given some time off, since he was gone for almost a month on that mission.

But if he took her into town, people might recognize her. Although, they could always cover her hair up with a shawl, just to be on the safe side. And that way she would be happy once more and forgive him.

He finished making the asparagus and salmon. Then threw together a salad. He set the table with his fancy china, and lit the candles, making it all romantic. Then he walked outside and stood in the doorway, seeing Natsumi sitting in the grass. "I made dinner." He said softly, unsure if she would welcome his presence.

She got up, not really thinking she had a choice, and walked back to him. She looked down at the ground, keeping her eyes on the wood of the porch. She headed inside and sat down at the place he had set for her, saying nothing. She really didn't want to make him angry again.

Sensing that she was still upset, he placed food on her plate and then his. He sat down and stared at the food, not really having an appetite. He just felt so horrible for yelling at her. He looked up at her, wishing she would look at him. "I thought about it, and if you still want to, we can go into town tomorrow. I'll give you a tour." He said.

"No that's ok." She said softly, picking up her chopsticks and beginning to eat. "I've learned my lesson. I promise." She started eating slowly, even though her stomach didn't take the food well. She felt sick and just wanted to go to sleep, though she didn't know where she would sleep. She really didn't want to sleep in his bed with him.

"Natsumi, really it's okay. I didn't mean to yell at you, I was angry about the conversation I'd had with my father. We can go into town, it's no problem. Besides, they sell different clothes here in Konoha then they do in that village we went to, and I figured we could get you some more. If you want." Great, now he was trying to buy her back.

She shook her head. "I promise. I'm ok. I'll just stay here." She said, continuing to eat. It at least felt good to have something filling her stomach and it tasted really yummy too.

He looked at his plate, completely ashamed of himself. It seemed like he had caused irreversible damage in their relationship now, and he had no idea what to do. He'd never felt guilty for hurting someone else before, and so had never tried to make them feel better. "I see. You can sleep in the bed tonight, I will stay elsewhere." He rose from the table and went outside, sitting down next to the koi pond and looking out at the water, which was glowing in the moonlight. "I'm such a monster." He said to himself.

It was awhile later, when Natsumi had washed the dishes and put everything away before leaning against the counter. She frowned, staring out the window and into the forest around the house. She opened the fridge and pulled out some ice cream she had made earlier. Reluctantly, she scooped some into a bowl and got out a spoon. She walked out and stopped behind him, glancing off. "I…um…made this before I disobeyed you and left the house." She offered it.

"I'm not hungry, but thank you." He said softly, his gaze trained on the water. The fact that she was being nice to him after what he had done only made him feel worse.

"Oh…ok." She said, sounding shy. She left the back porch and returned to the kitchen, placing the ice cream back in the freezer. She walked back to their room and stared at the bed, pulling off her shoes and lying down in the spot she had since they started sleeping together. She gripped the pillow tightly, staring at the place she would normally see Akito. It made her sad to think of him. She had thought he was different. Hours passed and she had not stopped starring at the sheets. She couldn't sleep. She didn't even feel tired. She had gotten used to sleep with Akito. She sat up then and touched his side. She had literally slept with him.

She had never been able to sleep before. She tried to think about his words. She hadn't looked at him, but he sounded sad. He even looked sad when she went out to him. Maybe he really was just worried and afraid someone would take her and the only way he knew how to take care of her was to keep her with him. She sighed and got up, walking down the hall. It was the middle of the night and she wondered which of his spare rooms he picked to sleep.

She checked all of them and found them all vacant. She pressed her lips tightly together and then headed towards the back door. She opened it and saw him, sitting in the same place he had been when she saw him last. She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves, telling herself that he was truly sorry for losing his temper. "Will you come to bed with me?" she asked softly, hoping he heard her so she didn't have to ask again. She tried not to seem afraid of his reaction. She just hoped it was the one she wanted.

He turned and looked at her, his eyes sad. "You…still want to be with me? After what I did?" he asked, looking like a child told they weren't really in trouble.

"Well…I've never been able to sleep before…so…you must have done something right…so…I want to give you the benefit of the doubt." She said, poking her finger together and then fiddling with them.

"But…you're scared of me." He said, looking back down at the ground.

"I'm scared of lots of things," she tried to reassure him.

He shook his head. "I'm a monster. I made you cry."

She frowned and sighed. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I was just asking." This was obviously going nowhere. "Well goodnight. Don't stay outside too long or you'll get sick." She went back in, making her way back to her room. She got back in bed and stared at the empty space. She'd never felt so alone before, but she assumed she'd just have to get used to it.

A few minutes later Akito came in. After taking off his shirt, he crawled into bed with Natsumi and lay on his back. He didn't know if she wanted him to hold her or not, and so decided to let her make the first move. She watched him for a while before speaking, "I'm sorry…"

He rolled onto his side so that he was facing her. "Do not apologize. I'm the one who's sorry. I should never have taken my anger out on you, and I especially shouldn't have yelled." He said, his sadness reflecting in his gaze. She searched his eyes for any doubt. When she found none she snuggled further into the sheets.

"You scared me." She stated, trying to sound bold. Because it was true, he had truly frightened her.

"I know, and I'm sorry."

"Ok," she said softly. "I believe you…and I forgive you."

He let out a relieved sigh, and hesitantly reached out to brush some of her bangs out of her face. When she didn't flinch away from his touch, he pulled her into his arms. "I didn't mean to scare you." He said in a pained voice, burying his face in her hair. He knew she had already forgiven him, but he still felt bad.

"It's ok," she tried to console him by wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tightly. "Just…please don't ever do it again."

He slid his fingers into her hair and held her close. "I promise to never yell at you, or scare you again. I'd rather die before making you that scared ever again." He pulled back and stroked her cheek tenderly. "Tomorrow I'm going to take you into town and show you around."

She smiled finally, "I'd really like that. I promise I won't run off, I'll be good. I know you're just trying to protect me."

"All we have to do is hide your hair, since it's your most recognizable feature. Other than that, we can go wherever you want. Shopping, the park, the spa, anywhere." He said, actually growing excited about taking her out. "We can even go on a date. If you want."

"Can we buy something pretty to cover my hair, I don't want to look like a dork." She laughed, enjoying his excitement and the plans for their day tomorrow. She was so glad she was going to get to be outside and with other people.

He nodded. "Of course. But until then, you'll just have to make do with tying it up and covering it with an old baseball cap. But don't worry, I know exactly where we can go to get you one." He smiled slightly, happy that he had made her smile. After what he'd done earlier he was afraid he'd never see it again. "So what do you say? Will you go on a date with me?" he asked, his cheeks becoming a light shade of pink, since he'd never gone on a date before.

She stared at him oddly, "I don't know what a date is." She said, looking embarrassed.

"Well, a date is when two people, who really like each other, go out and have fun. In a romantic way." He explained. "So I was thinking we could dress all fancy, after buying you something nice to wear, since I know you'd like that, and then we can go somewhere fancy to have dinner. And after that, I could take you to the hot springs, and we can drink champagne as we soak under the stars. How does that sound?" he asked, looking down at her.

She smiled brightly, snuggling against him. "That sounds really good, I can't wait. It especially makes me happy to hear you say you really like me in a romantic way." She giggled a bit, trying to get a glimpse of his face to see if he got more embarrassed.

His face had gotten an even darker shade of pink. "Well…I do. I mean, if you don't like me that way we don't have to go on a date. It was just an idea." She held up her hand, placing a finger over his lips to silence him.

"I like you a lot Akito. It sounds really fun and you're the only one I'd want to do it with." She said, smiling sweetly.

He smiled. "Alright well we should get some sleep then. You'll want plenty of energy if we're going to see the whole village in one day." He said, kissing her fingertip. She removed her finger and replaced it with her lips, kissing him goodnight.

"Alright. Night Akito." She nuzzled back against his chest and snuggled with him beneath the sheets.

He buried his face in her hair and inhaled her scent. "Goodnight Natsumi. Sleep well." He said, shutting his eyes. They both fell asleep shortly after that, exhausted for different reasons. But, at least their first problem as an almost sort of kind of couple was over with.


	10. Secrets

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Ten_

-Secrets-

Natsumi set down a beautiful arrangement of flowers she had made on the kitchen table. She examined it and readjusted a tulip. She smiled happily, pleased with her work. She had gone through the flowers in the garden and made a beautiful bouquet. The past week had been wonderful, she had gone on many dates with Akito and he had bought her a few very pretty shawls that she used to cover her hair.

She didn't mind, because she liked trying new things with them and seeing what looked best. She was even allowed to go have tea with Sasuke again, but Akito didn't join her. He said he would rather let them have their own time. It made her happy that he trusted her to stay at his father's house. And she enjoyed their time together. It was nice to talk about Akito with someone else. She really liked Sasuke, he was nice to her and she didn't understand why he and Akito were on such hostile terms. But then again she didn't have a father, so she really didn't know how it worked.

There was a knock at the front door and she tensed. Akito had been called out by someone named the Hokage, who he explained was the leader of the village and that every ninja village had one. Hesitantly, she walked to the door, grabbing one of her shawls that happened to be a light green, similar to her eyes, and slid it open to see a girl about her age with long dark hair down to her waist. She had cerulean blue eyes that widened when she saw who answered the door. "Akito's not here." She said, somewhat hiding behind the door, keeping a tight grip on the fabric, to make sure her hair wasn't showing.

The girl just looked confused. "Who are you? And why are you in Akito-kun's house?" she asked. Then her face lit up. "Oh! Are you his new girlfriend?" she asked excitedly, clapping her hands together and smiling at Natsumi.

"His what?" she blinked.

"His girlfriend." Her smile fell. "You know…" she trailed off not knowing how to explain it. Maybe she was wrong.

Natsumi just stared at her. "Um well I sleep with him and we go on dates. Is that what a girlfriend does?"

Minako's eyes widened at this new knowledge, and then narrowed. It seemed her friend had a lot of explaining to do when he got back from wherever it is he was. She just gave the woman a kind smile. "Yes, that is what a girlfriend does." She said.

"Oh, well then I guess I am." She said looking off. "So are you one of Akito's friends?"

"Oh yes, I've known Akito-kun since childhood. My name is Uzumaki Minako, it's nice to meet you." The ebony haired woman said.

"Um…I'm not supposed to tell people my name. So you'll just have to come back when Akito gets home." Natsumi said about to close the door. She glanced past the woman and saw the one they had just been speaking of. "Oh there he is." She pointed. Minako turned and looked back, seeing her friend.

"Akito!" She waved.

Said Uchiha's eyes widened slightly when he saw Minako, and he looked between the two women. "Hey."

Minako placed her hands on her hips and glared slightly at him. "Akito-kun, you've got some explaining to do! How could you go and get a girlfriend and not tell me? Is she the one you were at the festival with?" she asked.

"How did you know about the festival?" Akito asked, growing slightly nervous. If Toshiro was in town then Natsumi would have to stay home for a while, until the redhead left.

"Shiro-kun told me in a letter." She said simply.

"Oh. Right." He said, unsure of what to do now that Minako had seen Natsumi.

"Who's…Shiro-kun?" Natsumi asked, looking straight at Akito.

Minako looked back at Natsumi and smiled. "He's my boyfriend. He's the Kazekage's son. He's really, really nice. You should meet him when he comes to visit me. I don't know when that is though, so it might be awhile." She laughed.

"No, she doesn't need to meet Toshiro." At Natsumi's confused look, he elaborated. "He's the red headed man I spoke to at the festival that I had to hide you from."

She nodded and looked between the two. "Um…so Minako, do you want to come in for tea? I just made some. If that's ok." She said glancing back at Akito. She was trying not to get her hopes up for a new friend, who was a girl, if she wasn't supposed to trust this one. Especially if it was the girlfriend of that man who would tell everyone about her.

Akito nodded his consent. He knew that if he just let Minako leave now she'd start spreading the news that he had someone living with him, so he needed to talk to her first and make her promise not to tell anyone. Minako gave them a weird look. It was odd that the other woman was asking permission, well, the manner in which it was asked was odd. Along with the fact that she didn't even know her name yet, since she had said that she wasn't allowed to tell people.

"Alright then come on in." she turned away from the two and returned back into the house, tying her shawl so she wouldn't have to hold it any longer. Akito and Minako walked in together, an awkward silence between the two. They sat down at the table as Natsumi each brought them a cup and filled it to the brim. She set out some treats and sat beside Akito, sipping at her own as the silence continued. "So…" she began when she saw they were not going to talk. "Minako right?"

"Yes." She said, nodding.

"And you live in Konoha too? Do you like it?"

"I like it well enough. Although I'm hoping that Shiro-kun will propose to me soon, so I can live with him in Suna. It's so beautiful there." The ebony haired woman said, a dreamy look coming to her eyes. Akito just kept quiet, not wanting to crush his friend's dream, since he knew the redhead probably wasn't going to ask any time soon.

Natsumi stared at her oddly. "Suna? Where's that?"

"It's about three days west of here, in the desert." She said.

"Why would someone live in the desert?" she blinked, weren't deserts hot and held nothing but sand.

"Well they live near an oasis, and it's so beautiful there. Plus, if you think tactically, it is the least likely nation to be invaded or attacked, because people who aren't used to the desert don't know how to survive. So most die or are seriously dehydrated before reaching the city." She explained. "And there's just something about the desert that I find…magical. I don't know, the sunsets and sunrises are spectacular, and there you can see all of the stars."

The pink haired woman pondered. She had never seen a desert before, but the way that Minako made it sound, she wanted to see one. She felt a smile form on her face. "That does sound really nice. I would like to see it someday. I do like sand a lot."

Minako paused in raising her cup to her lips, a startled look coming to her face. That was the same smile that Toshiro had, and in turn, Sakura. She was sure it was the same, since she had known the Sabaku family her whole life, and been with the redhead for years, as friends and romantically. "It is nice." She eventually said, taking a sip of her tea.

Akito watched his childhood friend suspiciously. He knew what the look on her face meant, and if things continued as they were, something bad was going to happen, he could just feel it. Minako may have an idiot for a father, but she wasn't stupid. Any more time in Natsumi's company, and she would probably figure everything out. And then he would be screwed.

At that moment Natsumi knocked her spoon off the table. "Oh I'm sorry." she laughed, leaning down to pick it up. But as she came back up, that shawl around her head snagged on the table and was pulled off, exposing her soft pink hair.

Minako gasped as her eyes became the size of saucers, and pointed to the pink haired woman. Before she could say anything, Akito was out of his seat and had his hand clamped over her mouth. "We're going to go talk outside for a minute Natsumi. Just sit tight." He said to her, dragging the ebony haired woman towards the back door. At the sound of the other woman's name, Minako's eyes widened even more, and muffled words could be heard coming from behind Akito's hand.

Natsumi just stared after them, watching in shock. "Ok…take your time…I guess." She sighed and rest one of her elbows on the table, propping her head up. "No wonder Akito always makes me cover up my hair. People freak out when they see an out of the ordinary color." She let out another sigh and blew some of her bangs from her face.

* * *

Once they were in the backyard, Akito let go of Minako, who stepped away from him and pointed her finger at him. "Why is she staying with you? And why doesn't Shiro-kun know?" then she gasped. "OH MY GOD! You didn't tell him! You lied!" then she gripped her hair and began to pace. "I can't believe this, he doesn't know. If he knew…"

"Minako, calm down and just let me explain." Akito said. The ebony haired woman looked up at him and glared.

"How could you not tell Shiro-kun you found his sister? He's been searching for her his entire life! And so have her parents!" she yelled.

"Look, I found her, and I want to keep her. I can watch over her and protect her, the way her family obviously couldn't." he said, crossing his arms.

Minako mimicked his actions. "So. It's her family, Akito-kun. They have a right to know that she's still alive. And you slept with her. Don't deny it, she said so herself."

"Well you slept with Toshiro, so I don't see what the big deal is." He retorted. Minako gasped.

"He told you?" at her friend's nod, she blushed. She should have known he would say something anyways. "Well, that's different. We've known each other our whole lives, and actually had a healthy relationship before having sex."

"Natsumi and I had a relationship before we had sex." He said.

"Oh really, tell me, what was it?" Minako asked, raising a brow.

"I was her guard and protector, and I taught her about the world. That includes how other men only want her for sex, what kisses are, and so on and so forth." He told her.

Her jaw fell open and the look she gave him was one of shock. "You're using her! You…you…slut!" she yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him. He looked offended.

"You're the slut! Having sex before marriage, good God."

"I'm not the slut, you are! You no good man-whore!" she yelled, face becoming red in anger.

Akito pointed a finger at her. "Hussy!"

"Horn dog!"

They got into a yelling match then, and continued to call each other names as their faces grew redder and redder in their efforts to best the other in their name calling.

* * *

Natsumi looked up from doing the dishes, hearing the loud banter. But she didn't really understand the words, and by the tones of their voice she really didn't want to go and see what was wrong. She'd already been yelled at by Akito, and she never wanted to be anywhere near that when it was at someone else. She sighed and continued the dishes. They would come back in eventually, right?

* * *

"Look, who the bigger slut is here isn't the problem. The problem, Akito-kun, is that you lied to your best friend about his _sister_, are lying to her and keeping her here captive, and don't feel bad in the least about it." Minako said, crossing her arms.

"I'm not keeping Natsumi captive, she wants to be here. If she wanted to leave, all she has to do is say so." Akito said.

Minako snorted. "Please. We both know you would find some way to persuade her to stay. Does she even know about her parents?"

"She knows some." He shrugged. "I told her their names and ninja abilities, but not that they are still alive. Or that she has a brother."

Blue eyes widened. "You didn't tell her. You lied to Shiro-kun, and Natsumi-chan? Oh you are _so_ dead when I tell him. And I won't stop him from killing you either, because he has every right to do so."

"No, Minako, you can't tell Toshiro. As my first and best friend, you are obligated to keep this secret for me. Nobody can know." Akito said.

"That is not a good enough reason to lie to Shiro-kun." The ebony haired woman said, crossing her arms and sticking her hip out stubbornly.

Akito smirked. "Alright then. If you tell, then I'm going to tell your father you had sex with him. And when he finds out his precious little girl is no longer innocent, he's going to go after Toshiro, and only one of them will come out of that fight alive. On top of that, your grandfather will find out, and you will have disgraced the entire Hyuuga Clan. Do you really want that on your shoulders?" he asked.

Her arms fell. "Well…no." she said, lowering her eyes in defeat. "But I don't think I can lie to him. I've never kept anything from him before, and we both know I'm a terrible liar."

"Yeah but I think that now that you have the right incentive to lie, you will." Akito said with confidence. "Come on, Natsumi is waiting for us back inside."

She let out a sigh and turned to go back into the house. "Yeah." When they entered the kitchen, she smiled at the other woman, who was putting the dishes away. "I'm sorry if my outburst startled you Natsumi-chan." She said.

She looked back at the two and kept glancing between them. "Oh…it's ok. I just don't like when Akito yells is all. No worries."

"Sorry if I upset you." Akito said, giving Natsumi an apologetic look.

She waved her hands in front of her face and shook her head. "No, no. It's fine. I'm ok." She smiled, but really wanted his comfort. He hadn't touched her since he had returned and she wondered if it was because of Minako's arrival.

Minako went to go sit back at the table, and while her back was turned, Akito wrapped his arm around Natsumi's waist and pulled her to him, kissing her on the cheek when she was close enough. He had sensed that Natsumi needed some form of comfort, and on top of that, he'd been dying to touch her since his return home. She leaned against him, staying in his hold and gripping tightly onto his shirt. She could sense something was wrong. But he would tell her if something were bothering him. Right?

When Minako turned to look back over at them, she noted their embrace and watched as Akito gently stroked Natsumi's cheek. She gave the couple a contemplative look. It was clear to an onlooker that the two felt something very deep for each other, for she had never seen a look so tender in her friend's eyes before. If this were the case, perhaps it would be easier for her to lie to Toshiro, although she doubted it. But maybe that's why it was a good thing he wouldn't be coming back to Konoha for a while, no matter how much she would miss him. She rose from her seat and cleared her throat, getting the other two's attention. "Well I think I'm going to go, since my original purpose for coming here was fulfilled. Thank you for the tea. It was nice to meet you Natsumi-chan." She said with a smile, nodding to the other woman.

Natsumi smiled at her, the similarity was almost painful. "It was nice to meet you too. You should come over again and we can plant some flowers. I've been playing a lot in the garden lately. And having a girl to talk to would be nice. After all, it's just been me and Akito and the few times I've gone over to visit Sasuke." But she didn't move from her spot in Akito's arm. She was feeling distressed from their earlier spat and needed his anchor.

"Of course! I'll come by sometime tomorrow, if that's alright. I have a mission to go on in a few days, otherwise it will have to be next week." Minako said, growing excited about becoming friends with the woman, although at the same time she felt a little guilty, knowing the truth about Natsumi and yet not allowed to tell her or Toshiro, even though they had a right to know.

"Sounds great." Natsumi said happily, knowing Akito would not deny her this. "Then you should come over tomorrow." She nodded. Minako did the same and waved them both goodbye before leaving. When she was sure the dark haired girl was gone, she pulled away from Akito and looked up at him sadly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to fall off. I thought I had tied it better than that."

He shook his head. "It's not your fault, Minako was just surprised is all. But we talked about it, and she has promised not to say anything. She's a good friend, we can trust her. And…I want you two to be friends. I figured you'd like that." He said, running his thumb along her jaw gently. She nodded slowly and moved towards him, pressing her body to his.

"If you say so. I do like her. She seems nice."

He ran his fingers through her hair and held her closer. "She is." After a few moments he pulled away and kissed her forehead. "So I didn't scare you when I was yelling earlier? Because it wasn't angry yelling, it was more like argument yelling." He said.

She shrugged, "I didn't have to see your face. So I was ok. I just didn't understand what was going on. I didn't realize my hair was that upsetting." She sighed.

He chuckled. "It wasn't your hair, trust me." He said, ruffling the short pink locks.

"Then what was it?" she asked curiously.

"She knows who you are." He said simply.

This seemed to confuse her only further. "But what would a woman want with me?" then she went wide eyed. "Is she a bi-sexual?" she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

He laughed. "No, she isn't. But since Toshiro is her boyfriend, she would tell him. And I know for a fact that he would take you from me." He said, becoming serious.

This made her eyes widen even further. "Why would he try and take me from you? I don't even know him."

"He has an obsession for women with pink hair." He lied.

"Really?" she said in awe. That was a weird thing to have a fetish for. "Well, I guess its good then that it was all settled and I'll be safe." She smiled happily. "It's been a long day. Wanna take a bath?"

"Yeah, let's go." He said, leading her to their bathroom.


	11. Backfire

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Eleven_

-Backfire-

Toshiro looked up at the gates to Konoha. He hadn't been here for a while, since he had taken up chasing around wild rumors about a mysterious pink haired woman. Unfortunately, he had come up with nothing. He felt somewhat foolish. There was no way Natsumi could still be alive. Not after so long. She hadn't ever been seen, not even the best ninja from Suna _and_ Konoha could find her. His father had even failed. So what made him think he had a chance of finding her?

He let out a long sigh. He needed some comfort now, and the only one he found it from these days was Minako, his girlfriend for the past three years. He was tired of hunting through villages and trying to find something that concerned the gossip. But he always came to a dead end.

How was it possible that everyone could know about this woman, yet she was nowhere to be found? The two guards gave him a wave as he passed them. "Welcome back Toshiro-sama." They said, but he did nothing to acknowledge them. He just headed straight for Minako's house. When he reached the large abode he just walked in, having been there enough to earn the right.

Naruto was sitting in the living room, going over some scrolls and looking as if he were having a deep thought. "Hello Naruto. How is everything in Konoha? I hope the stress of being the Hokage is not getting to you." He gave the blonde a small smile.

"Oh same old stuff." Naruto said, looking up at the redhead with a smile. "Although there are rumors going around of some unrest in Sound, but then again, there's always unrest in Sound." He joked.

He laughed as well, "True. They just can't seem to settle down. Well my father sends his regards and hopes you can come visit soon. Since my mother won't stop complaining about how they always come to Konoha to visit you."

Naruto chuckled. "Well we were going to come up with Minako next time she came to visit you, which should be soon. You know how she hates going long periods of time between visits. Especially recently. I can't put my finger on it, but that girl seems different." He said, looking contemplative. "But it's probably nothing." He waved it off.

The redhead coughed, looking away nervously. "Yeah, uh, probably nothing." He said and then pointed up the stairs. "Is, um, Minako home?"

"Yeah. She's in her room." Then he looked pointedly at Toshiro. "And leave the door open. I don't care if you two are adults, while in my house you follow my rules." He said sternly.

Toshiro held up his hands in defense, palms out. "Naruto, sir, I promise I would never break your rules in your house." He gave him a reassuring smile. He wasn't lying, because every time he and Minako had gotten intimate they were indeed not in his house. The blonde smiled and nodded.

"I know, you're a good boy Toshiro. You always have been. Dinner will be at six, so you two shouldn't go off anywhere." He said returning to his work. The younger man nodded and headed up the steps, knocking on Minako's door lightly before walking in.

"Hey Minako." he said, shutting the door, only leaving a crack open.

She ran into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Shiro-kun! You're here!" she said, laying her head on his chest. Then she stiffened slightly and pulled away from him a bit. "What are you doing here?" she asked, looking slightly nervous.

He blinked, seeming confused. It was only then that Minako could tell just how similar the siblings were. They had the exact same facial expressions. "I wanted to see you. I can leave if you want me to." He frowned, pointing back at the door.

She shook her head vigorously. "Oh no, I'm happy you came. I was just surprised is all." She said, giving him a reassuring smile. He watched her warily, sensing that something was seriously off. He could tell, because he had known her their whole lives.

"Are you ok Minako?" he asked, stepping closer to her touching her cheek gently. "You seem…uptight."

"Oh, um…no…I mean yes, yes, I'm fine." She said, her nervousness seeping into her expression as she began to fidget. He gave her a knowing look.

"Minako…" he said in a low tone. "What's wrong? The last time you were like this was when you and Akito were trying to throw me a surprise birthday party. Are you hiding something?"

She put her hands on her cheeks, trying to cover her nervous blush. "I told him I'm a terrible liar!" she said, mostly to herself.

Toshiro arched a curious brow and took Minako by her shoulders, staring into her watering blue eyes. "Mina-chan," he said softly, using the name he only called her when they were in their most intimate moments. "Are you trying to hide something from the one you love?" he questioned, looking wounded.

Her eyes widened as guilt ripped through her, and she shook her head. But she was torn. She had promised Akito that she wouldn't tell, true, but she didn't think Toshiro would be so convincing in his want to know what was going on. "But…I promised Akito-kun I wouldn't say anything…" she murmured looking off. His gaze faltered, for only a moment. So it was Akito who was keeping secrets. But what could he possibly have to hide? He focused back on Minako and pulled her closer, pressing her body against his. He let one of his arms wrap around her waist and the other run through her long dark hair. He kissed her neck and whispered into her ear lovingly.

"Mina-chan…" he breathed. "You can't tell me? Why would you keep something from me?"

She whimpered and gripped his shirt. "Shiro-kun…" she said softly, shutting her eyes. She really wanted to tell him, it was physically hurting her not to. That was when she came to a decision. She opened her eyes and pulled away from him. "I will tell you." She said. He stared down at her, waiting.

"Well?"

Minako poked her fingers together in a similar manner her mother used to. "Well…there's a condition. You have to catch me first, that way I won't feel bad about breaking my promise to Akito-kun." She said, before disappearing through her window in a purple flash.

He blinked and stared at the spot she had recently been in. He sighed and opened up her window, jumping out into the village. He hated these games of hide and seek, but if he wanted to know he would have to find her and catch her. He dropped to the streets and felt around the area. When he caught a spark of her chakra he took off after her, running through the streets and taking shortcuts he knew about.

He spun around, feeling her disappear once more, this was so aggravating. He was about to disperse in his sand when he saw Akito. He stopped and then focused even more. There was a woman with him. She was attached to his arm, clinging to him as if they were lovers. He took a step closer, she had an extremely beautiful figure. She was dressed similar to him, in black, but wearing shorts instead of pants. She had a shawl covering her hair, but her face was in plain view. He got closer, and when her features became more defined he went wide eyed.

She looked up at Akito, smiling brightly. She looked just like his mother, aside from her eyes, which were the same shade of jade as his father's. "No way…" he breathed out, pushing past a few villagers who gave him irritated looks. His shocked stare turned into a vicious glare, but it was not on the woman, it was on Akito. The girl looked too similar to his sister to be a coincidence. "Akito!" Toshiro yelled, sounding absolutely infuriated.

Both Akito and Natsumi looked up, wide eyed. The Uchiha shoved Natsumi behind him and tried to brace himself for the sand that was already surging towards them. Natsumi grabbed Akito's arm and shoved him aside, holding her hands up and shutting her eyes tightly. She could feel her control spread and the sand in the air stopped.

Toshiro was wide eyed once more. In her action to protect Akito, her shawl had slipped off, revealing her beautiful pink hair. The redhead grew red with rage. "AKITO? YOU LOUSY PIECE OF SHIT!" he screamed.

"Damn." He muttered, quickly forming a few hand signs and grabbing Natsumi as they disappeared in a puff of smoke.

They reappeared in their bedroom, and Akito quickly went into his closet and pulled out two backpacks. "Hurry up and pack before your brother gets here." He ordered Natsumi, moving to open the dresser and toss clothes into the bags.

She just stared at him, shock all over her face. She couldn't even comprehend what was happening right now and had he just said her _brother_? She didn't move a muscle, trying to grasp onto what was going on. "What?"

"Your brother is going to kill me. And when your parents find out, things are only going to get worse." He said, stuffing clothes into the bag. His mind was whirring with the kinds of the repercussions of what would happen should Toshiro get here before they could leave.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." She held her hands up, getting an irritated look from him since she had made him stop.

"What?" he snapped, continuing his task.

"My parents? My brother?" she glared.

"Yeah, they live in Suna." He said without thinking. He froze then, as he felt a very large, very angry chakra presence enter the Uchiha District. "Crap." He said, picking up the bag and grabbing Natsumi's hand, leading her through the house and to the back door.

She jerked her hand away from him and backed up, actually glaring at him. "You're out of your mind if you think I'm going with you." She said seriously.

The front door slammed open and Toshiro appeared in the hallway. Natsumi looked back, going wide eyed. "You better keep your filthy lying hands off my sister you bastard!" he yelled, stomping up to the Uchiha. "You lied to my face! You had her the whole time! You sick asshole! What is wrong with you?" he pointed accusingly. "I thought we were friends!"

Akito returned his glare, but then looked at Natsumi, disbelief entering his eyes. "You…won't come with me?" he asked, not understanding her reasoning.

She looked absolutely broken, but only backed away from him. "You…you lied to me. You said my parents were dead. You…you…" she stopped and looked over at Toshiro, who was acting as a barrier between them. She had liked his hair when she saw him the first time, and his smile had tugged at something inside her. "You're my brother?" she asked, sounding scared.

The redhead turned around looking at her, eyes full of concern and care. "Natsumi." He spoke her name, making her go wide eyed. How did he know her name? He offered a hand to her. His eyes looked familiar, actually, everything about him seemed familiar. But mostly his face. "I am your brother. My name is Toshiro. My parents are Sabaku no Gaara and Sakura. And so are yours. You have to trust me. You can control sand and so can I." he said softly, trying not to frighten her. He let the golden grains swirl around them, caressing her cheek in a loving manner. "You were stolen from us when you were just one. I'm going to take you home. I promise." He assured her.

She glanced back at Akito, trying to make sense of the situation. "He's telling the truth." She said, knowing in her gut this was her flesh and blood. "You lied to me." She said again, feeling the tears spill from her eyes. "Why did you lie to me? I thought…" she stopped herself before she could utter a word that would only shatter her world if it weren't true. "I trusted you." She finally sobbed out. "But you were lying to me the whole time, just to keep me to yourself. So you could use my body." She backed away again, shaking her head. She needed to stay calm, none of this made any sense. She couldn't understand.

"What did you do to her?" Toshiro glared back at Akito, hate the only evident emotion on his face.

He glared back at the redhead. "I didn't do anything, she came on to me! I lied so that she wouldn't leave me, because I knew you'd take her away when you found out." He said, pointing at his friend hatefully. "Clearly your family couldn't take care of her properly, so I did. I took her out of that hellhole and showed her what real living is. Sue me."

Minako appeared then, standing behind Toshiro and next to Natsumi. She had felt the surges of chakra coming from the Uchiha prefecture, and had grown curious. It didn't take her long to figure out what had happened. "Natsumi-chan…" She said softly, her eyes sad as she placed a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder. They had become good friends over the past week, and she felt strongly for the woman.

Akito turned his glare on the ebony haired woman. "You! What did you do!" he yelled, pointing then at her. Her eyes widened.

In his moment of distraction, Toshiro stormed up to the Uchiha and pulled his fist back, socking him right in the face and making Natsumi yell for him. Akito collapsed against the wall from the sheer force, holding his now broken jaw. He steadied himself with the wall, not willing to fall from the blow. He felt the blood dripping from his nose and cursed. The pink haired woman stopped herself in her advance and backed away once more. She just couldn't believe why he would lie to her. She didn't want to think he was just like the men who had kidnapped her and kept her prisoner. But as she thought about it, some of his actions were suspicious. "Why?" she finally asked, making everyone else fall silent.

Akito looked over at her. He knew what it was she was asking, he just didn't know how to answer. Why did he lie to her? He knew it was because he didn't want her to leave, but he wasn't sure if there was a deeper meaning, or why exactly he didn't want her to leave. So that was all he told her. "I didn't want you to leave me." He got out, although it pained him to move his jaw in order to speak.

Her lip trembled and another wave of tears fell. "So you lied to me…and told me my family was dead…" she said. There was a long silence and when he said nothing more she choked out a sob. "I don't want to be with you." She managed out through her crying. "You lied to me…you betrayed me. I don't ever want to see you again!" she yelled, covering her eyes with her hands and trying to wipe away her tears.

Toshiro was beside her in an instant, pulling her into a tight embrace. She hugged him back, actually feeling safe. This house felt like a prison now, and she wanted to be out. He led her away and looked back over his shoulder at Akito. "If you ever come near her again, I will kill you." He said darkly, he glanced at Minako and frowned. "You weren't even going to tell me." He glared slightly, leading Natsumi out the door. He was going to get her home as soon as possible.

"Shiro-kun, let me at least grab some of her things." Minako said, following after them.

Soon after everyone was gone, and his house felt eerily empty. Akito stayed against the wall and stared at the last place he had seen Natsumi. She had looked so broken, and he could still see the betrayal and accusation in her eyes. Letting out a sigh, he left and made his way to the hospital in order to get his jaw fixed. He didn't want it to be permanently damaged, after all.


	12. Return

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Twelve_

-Return-

Natsumi stared up in complete awe at the large entrance. Inside these massive walls was Suna. One of the great ninja villages she had heard so much about. Toshiro looked over at her and gave her comforting smile. She looked at him and smiled back. When she saw him, she could see herself in his features. His smile matched her own, and his eyes were only a slightly darker shade of jade. "Welcome home Natsumi." He gestured towards the village. She looked back at it. This was her home. She could feel it.

The journey to Suna had been a long one, but it had given her the chance to talk with the elder redhead. He had told her so much about Suna and its inhabitants. About their mother and father, whom she was so excited to meet. She had an uncle and an aunt, and their father was the Kazekage, which meant he was the leader of the whole village. She had gotten to know Toshiro very well too. It was so easy to connect with him, which only made her surer of the fact that she was his sister.

He had told her that he had never stopped searching for her. When he was twelve he left the village in hopes of finding her. It made her heart flutter to think she was so important and that she had a family who cared so much about her. He was just ecstatic, and she could tell.

Toshiro looked forward, a big smile on his face. He was so happy. He had found his sister, who he'd been looking for all his life. They made it to the gates and the guards standing by stared wide eyed, jaws dropping. Natsumi slowed, feeling embarrassed and touching her hair. Toshiro grabbed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "It's not your hair. They just are surprised to see you. You've been missing for so long."

She blinked and looked back at the guards. Finally their shocked looks faded and they smiled, giving her small waves. She lowered her hand and smiled back, waving. She had to remember that everything Akito had told her was a lie. He was just trying to keep her prisoner for his own selfish reasons.

They walked through the streets, Natsumi was marveling at every little thing. Everyone turned to see the pink haired girl, utter disbelief on her face. Toshiro just placed his hand on the small of her back and led her forward. Finally they came to a large house, it was enormous, bigger than the daimyo's and Akito's. "This is where you live?" she asked in awe.

Toshiro shook his head and laughed, "This is where _we_ live, and you're finally going to meet mom. She's going to be so happy to see you. And it will clear any doubts in your head, I promise." He smiled and opened the door for her. They walked inside to the foyer that was tiled with marble. There were two staircases running up the sides and meeting in the center. They walked through the archway the stairs created and through a pair of double doors. "Mom!" The redhead called. "I'm back from Konoha and I brought you a present. I think you'll really like it!" he looked back down at her and smiled, making her smile as well. She was so anxious she could barely keep still.

Sakura came into the hallway from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel, since she had been doing the dishes. "Toshiro, sweetie, you didn't have to get me anything." She said with a smile, looking up from her task. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw who was with him. "Natsumi?" she let out in a breathy whisper, looking from her son back to the woman who looked exactly like her, save the eyes.

Natsumi felt her eyes water. There was no way this woman could not be her mother. There just was no chance. "M-mom?" she said shakily.

Sakura walked up to the woman, still slightly shocked that her daughter was finally in front of her. She reached out a hand and touched her cheek. "My baby." She whispered, feeling her eyes water as she smiled tenderly. The younger pink haired woman slowly took the elder's hand, pressing it to her face, enjoying the contact. It was better than she could have ever imagined. Finally the tears fell from her eyes.

"I thought you didn't want me." She cried silently.

Sakura hugged her daughter tightly, stroking her hair. "No honey, your father and I wanted you very much. We would have searched heaven and hell to find you." She said, feeling her own tears begin to fall. "I'm so glad you're finally home." She hugged Sakura back, holding on tightly as if she were going to disappear.

"Me too." She choked out a sob.

After a few moments, Sakura looked up at her son. "Come here." She said, holding out her arm so that he could join in the embrace. He smiled at them but shook his head.

"Trust me mom. I think I've overwhelmed her for the time being. I'll get you guys something to drink." He looked down at Natsumi and felt his smile widen. She returned the gesture, hugging her mother more tightly. He left the room then, leaving the girls to themselves.

Sakura pulled away from her daughter and brushed some hair out of her face. "You're more beautiful than I could have imagined, but then, you did take after me." She said with a smile.

Natsumi giggled and sat down with her mother on one of the sofas in the room. "I've never been happy to be called pretty before." She admitted, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

Sakura grew slightly sad at this information. "Well you are. So tell me," she said, getting comfortable on the sofa and changing positions excitedly, looking younger than she had in years. "Your favorite fruit, is it strawberries?' she asked.

She nodded, her smile returning. "Yes I love strawberries. I like to cook, but I hate cleaning. Spiders and snakes give me the creeps. Um…" she paused trying to think of interesting things about herself. "I like to dance, I didn't sleep for as long as I can remember until-" she stopped immediately, going a bit pale. "I, um, well I can control sand and I never run out of energy." She finished, trying to rid thoughts of Akito from her mind. This was supposed to be a happy moment and she didn't want to ruin it with stray memories of him.

Sakura squealed in glee. "Me too! Well, except for the not sleeping part. That you get from your father. Don't worry, Toshiro has trouble sleeping too." She said, waving off any possible concern. "As well as the sand. Your brother inherited that as well, but also my strength. I'm sure Gaara will teach you how to control it, if you wish. But you don't have to become a ninja if you don't want to. I can teach you medical jutsu and you can help me around the hospital." She offered. Natsumi stared, trying to take all the information in.

"No, no. I would like to. That sounds really interesting. Besides, everyone else is a ninja right? I want to be useful too. I don't want to sit on the sidelines and just be some little trophy. I've already had to do that my entire life." She shook her head, indicating she really didn't want to stay the way she was. "I would love to learn. From both of you. I'm just a little blown away right now."

The elder pink haired woman pat Natsumi's hand. "I completely understand dear. I'm sorry if I'm asking you so many questions, please tell me if you want me to stop. And after you settle in we can begin your training." She said. She returned her mother's gesture and pat her hand as well.

"I'm fine, don't worry. I am worn but I can hold out…I want to see…my dad…" she said quietly as Toshiro came back out. He set down a trey and offered his mother a cup of herbal tea and did the same to Natsumi. She took it slowly and sipped at the hot contents, looking around the room. She really liked the house, it felt warm and there were pictures everywhere. "This is so much different than Sasuke's house. I didn't see any pictures of Akito or of anyone for that matter." She said absentmindedly and then froze.

Sakura froze as well and looked at her son. The two exchanged a look, and Sakura just smiled and looked back at Natsumi. "Well your father should be home in about two hours. Do you want to clean up from your trip and rest a bit? I need to start dinner, and Toshiro can wake you before he gets home." She offered.

"Uh yeah, actually that sounds nice. But don't worry if you just tell me which room I can have I can find it. I'd like to explore a little as well." She said, getting up and grabbing the bag she had brought from Akito's. Toshiro pointed out the doors they had come through and gave her a sad smile.

"Yeah just go up the stairs and the hallway to the left is ours. There are about five doors but only two with double doors. The one at the very end of the hall is yours. Mom and dad already have it furnished…they decorate it every year on your birthday." He explained.

Natsumi felt her eyes water once more and looked down at her mother. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yes, so that it will be ready for you when you come home. Since…people grow and everything." She said, her eyes watering once more. She didn't hold herself back, the younger girl leaned down and hugged her mother tightly.

"Thank you…for never stopping."

Sakura returned her embrace. "We never gave up hope on you Natsumi." She said. They parted, and Sakura wiped at her tears. "Now go and rest for a while. The journey must have been exhausting." She told her daughter. She nodded and grabbed her bag once more, disappearing through the doors. Once they heard her walk up the steps Sakura turned her emerald gaze to her son.

"Now…what was this about Sasuke and his son?" she asked, her voice strained in her effort to control the emotions flowing through her.

Toshiro looked back at his mother and frowned, already indicating she would not like the news she was about to hear. "I found Natsumi with Uchiha Akito…in Konoha."

"So he found her?"

"Months ago."

The cup in her hand shattered as she clenched her fist, but luckily she had already finished her tea. "You mean, that bastard was keeping her from us?" her body was shaking in rage.

He nodded. "I saw him at this festival in a lesser country. I had heard good things about it, and popped in on my way back from Iwa. I saw him there, and at the time I didn't see anything wrong with his odd behavior. I found out he had a date, so I brushed it off. But I knew I felt sand there. It just was so faint I mistook it for my own. Then when I went to Konoha, Minako was acting weird and was hiding something from me, and when I was trying to catch her I saw Akito. And there she was, attached to his arm as they were shopping for fruit."

Sakura took a calming breath, trying not to start yelling in her upset at this news. "Is you sister okay? Did he hurt her?"

"She looked fine to me. She even stopped my sand when I attacked Akito. But when I arrived at his house she was looking scared. Apparently he told her that you and dad were dead. She hasn't talked about it much to me, maybe you'll have better luck. But it seems he lied to her about a lot of things."

"Your father is going to be pissed when he finds out." She said, already dreading the outburst she knew was to come.

He just shrugged. "What's the worst that could happen? He'd go and kill Akito. And right now I don't think anyone would care."

"True." She sighed and stood. "I'm going to go and start dinner." She announced, kissing her son's forehead. "Thank you for bringing your sister home. Our family is finally whole again." She smiled.

"Yeah." He watched her leave and got up, going to wash up himself.

After a while, Natsumi came back down, her hair still damp from her shower. She had on some loose black draw string pants and a small, tight black t-shirt that was short, revealing some of her flat stomach. She walked into the kitchen and looked around spotting her mother. "Hey."

Sakura looked over her shoulder as she put the lasagna in the oven. It was ironic, since that was what they had eaten the night before Natsumi had been taken, but she quickly shook those thoughts away. "Hi sweetie. Dinner will be ready soon, and your father will be home shortly." She said, straightening and wiping her hands off on her shorts. "Did you like your room?" she asked.

"Yeah it was beautiful. I really liked it." She smiled, sitting down in one of the kitchen chairs.

Sakura sat down opposite her. "Are you nervous?" she asked, wanting some conversation. Although she herself was excited. Ever since she had disappeared, Gaara had lost some of his happiness, and hadn't been the same. None of them had. But now things could go back to how they used to be, sort of.

She looked up from her twiddling fingers and shook her head. "Well…" she stopped. "I guess I am. I've just got a lot on my mind is all."

"Care to share? I want you to feel like you can talk to me about anything." She said.

Natsumi stared at Sakura for a bit before continuing. "It's nothing. I'm just sad. I've been lied to my whole life…and when I was finally taken away from that place…I thought it would be different. But it wasn't…"

"Do you…want to tell me about it?" she asked, hoping the younger woman would open up and tell her what had happened while she was with the Uchihas.

"Well I lived with the Daimyo since before I can remember and it was horrible. I was treated like a slave and tortured, and he kept telling me if I wasn't good he would sell me for my body. Which I eventually found out was what he was going to do anyways." She started with a deep sigh. "And then…this really handsome man came to the mansion and he looked at me in a way I had never been looked at before. Well he turned out to be a fake…or a ninja or whatever, and was just stealing something from the place. He came into my room trying to escape the guards, and I begged him to take me with him." She stopped, looking up at her mother to see her reaction. She didn't know if this was too much for the woman to handle or if she should just leave the details out.

Sakura nodded, signaling for her to continue. She was being sure to hold in her reactions to what was being said, but she vowed that some day she was going to find that bastard of a daimyo and kill him slowly for what he had put her daughter through. "Well," Natsumi continued. "The guy who took me from that place, his name was Akito. Um, Uchiha Akito I think. He was really nice to me and he didn't seem to be after anything. He taught me lots of things I didn't know anything about." She paused and thought a bit. "He taught me how to act, about underwear and he bought me clothes. He also taught me what kissing meant and the different kinds."

"Kissing?" Sakura asked, raising a brow. "You kissed?"

She turned a dark red and looked off. "Well yeah, he told me it was to thank someone you cared about. But…we did a lot more than kiss…"

"You had sex with him." She stated.

She nodded and looked back at her. "It wasn't right at first. We'd been traveling for about a week and we were in this town, and I made a new friend. She bought me clothes and took me to this club, so I invited Akito. We danced, and I guess I just kind of lost it." She covered her face with her hands and sighed, remembering the night. "He just made me feel so good and I thought he cared about me. I thought he was protecting me. At least that's what he kept telling me."

Sakura placed her hand on the other woman's shoulder. "It's okay honey, I'm not upset with you. I'm sure in his own twisted way he thought he was protecting you. But in my experience, nothing good comes from Uchihas. Sasuke was just as bad, if not worse." She comforted.

Natsumi looked up, her brow scrunching in confusion. "Sasuke was nothing but nice to me. He even made me tea."

She smiled. "Well I'm glad he was nice to you. Sasuke and I, however, don't have that great of a history. And your father hates him."

"Oh," she said a bit wide eyed. "Then should I not talk about him?"

"No, no. You can. Sasuke isn't all bad, really. We used to be teammates. And it makes me happy that he was nice to you, despite his son." She said, rising in order to begin chopping the lettuce for the salad. "So what else happened?' she asked over her shoulder.

"Well after we had sex we became really close. He took me to Konoha and to his house, telling me I could live with him because I had no one else." She frowned at the thought, but chose not to dwell on it. "It was really nice, but he wouldn't let me outside because he said people would recognize me and try and take me away from him. I didn't realize it was because you guys were still alive. And when I broke the rules to go see Sasuke, he was mad and upset. Then he yelled at me and told me I was never ever going to leave ever again, and that if I got kidnapped and raped her wouldn't care." Natsumi sniffed, unable to keep the ache in. The pain from that day was still raw in her heart, and she cried into her hands.

Sakura was by her daughter in an instant, holding her in a warm embrace. "Shh, it's okay honey. I'm here." She said, stroking Natsumi head. "You don't have to continue if it's too painful."

"I just don't understand." She choked out. "I thought…I thought I might love him. But everything feels like a lie, I don't know what to believe."

"Believe in what your heart tells you. That's what I always did when I was unsure of how I felt. Sometimes your mind gets in the way, but it's what you feel inside that's the truth. And if you do love him, then nobody understands your pain better than me." She said.

"But he lied to me. About everything. Even if I did love him, I don't even know who he really is."

"Well, then we will just have to help you get over him." Sakura said, pulling away slightly. She looked to the entrance of the kitchen as Toshiro walked in. "Toshiro can kill him if you want. I know that would make a lot of people happy." She said, joking somewhat. "Right honey?'

The redhead shrugged, walking in changed from his normal clothes and into some night clothes. It was pretty late anyways, and he was tired from their journey. "I guess. He'd be hard to kill though. He's like a cockroach, they're just so dang fast." Natsumi looked between the two, deciding to keep her discomfort to herself. She got up and walked from the room, saying something about grabbing the cups from the living room.

She stacked the two she and Toshiro had used and started picking up the shards from the shattered china. The door to the living room opened, and there was an annoyed sigh. "Sakura!" Gaara called, struggling with his three bags filled with scrolls. Natsumi stood straight and looked at the doors, going wide eyed. There, standing in the doorway, was the man with the face she had dreamed of. Toshiro had looked similar to him, but this, this was him. This was her father. "Sakura!" he yelled again, managing to hang one of the bags. "I need those files from the hospital, Baki has be-" he froze when he looked up and dropped everything he was holding.

Natsumi blinked, not really knowing what to do. Gaara just stared back, unable to move from his spot. He was absolutely speechless. He must have been over worked and sleep deprived. He hadn't slept in eighteen years. So he must be passed out in his office. Finally, Natsumi steeled her nerves and took a deep breath. "Dad?"

His eyes widened and reality seemed to crash down. He burst into a sand cloud and then appeared in front of her, making her jump. "Sorry." He said quickly, examining her face. He took a step back and gave her a once over finally looking into her eyes, which mirrored his perfectly. She gulped, fiddling with her fingers nervously. What if he didn't like her? Dread started creeping until she felt his arms wrap around her and hold her tightly to him. She stared in shock over his shoulder, and then slowly hugged him back, burying her face in his chest. He placed his hand on the back of her head and kept her close, both holding on as if their lives depended on it. Natsumi felt her tears falling once more.

But then she noticed her shoulder was becoming damp. "Natsumi." Gaara breathed out, "I can't believe you're alive." He said, holding her closer.

Sakura came into the living room then, tears rolling down her cheeks as she took in the scene. "Toshiro brought her home a few hours ago." She said softly, leaning against the doorframe, wanting Gaara to have his moment with their daughter. She was his baby girl, after all.

He pulled away only slightly, looking over at Sakura. "And you didn't come get me immediately? You know I would have been here the second I heard my little girl was back." He smiled down at Natsumi. She couldn't help but smile back through her tears. He let out a small laugh, something none of the Sabakus had heard in a long time. "Well I guess you're not a little girl anymore. You grew up into a very beautiful young woman." He said, bringing her head forward and kissing her forehead.

"She was tired and needed to rest." Sakura defended, smiling slightly. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes by the way." She said, heading back into the kitchen to give the two some time alone. Gaara looked down at his daughter and kissed the top of her head once again.

"Well come on, let's sit down and eat something, and you can tell me all about you. We've got a lot of catching up to do. I want to know what you like and what you dislike. Anything you can think of." He said, only making her smile more. Natsumi felt happy and at home. These people were her family and she could feel it. This was her dad and her mother was in the kitchen fixing her dinner. And she had a wonderful brother who had searched nonstop for her. This was what she always wanted. To belong to a family. She let her father lead her to the kitchen, intent on telling him everything about her that she could.

She had it all now, her life was going to be perfect and filled with love. Her smile fell as a stray thought tugged at the back of her head. A whisper, telling her she would never truly be happy without…she stopped the thought immediately and plastered another smile on her face. They disappeared into the kitchen and the family ate together for the first time in eighteen years.


	13. Emptiness

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Thirteen_

-Emptiness-

Akito sat there, his dark gaze trained on the bed. It had been five days since Natsumi had left his home, and his life. Not much had happened since then really. After going to the hospital and making up some lie to Tsunade about his jaw, he finally took in everything that had happened. Then he grew extremely angry. So as soon as he got to the privacy of his home, he began to train rigorously, until his entire body ached.

He had ripped up all of the flowers that Natsumi had planted, loathing her with his entire being. How could she do that to him? Show him what true happiness was and then take it away. What a bitch.

It was all her fault. She made him feel strange things, things he had never felt before. When she smiled he was happy, and when she cried he felt horrible. Then, whenever she touched him, the spot in which their skin was connected lit up as if it were on fire. She was a temptress, that's what she was. Using her body to get him to buy her nice things and let her live in his house, the one place he had never shared with anyone, except for her.

Once his fit of rage passed, he sank to his knees on the grass and began to cry. Well, not really cry, but a few drops slid down his cheeks. He just couldn't believe it. She was really gone. The only woman he had ever cared about in a romantic way, was gone. He felt so alone, so abandoned. So empty. Who would cook meals when he didn't feel like it? Who would he spar with? Who would light up his entire day with a smile? There was no way he would be able to replace her, and no way he could ever forget her.

It took him a while, but eventually he had picked himself up off the ground and walked into his home. The place felt haunted now. Every room he went into held a piece of Natsumi, a memory of her. He could swear he heard her laugh, and ran into the kitchen, only to be met with emptiness. That's all his life consisted of now. Emptiness and loneliness.

But he only had himself to blame. Perhaps, if he had told her the truth, actually taken her to Suna, things would have been different. He would have been looked upon as a hero, a savior. And maybe Natsumi would still have been a part of his life. But he was just wasting time on wishful thinking.

He walked into their bedroom, now his alone once more, and sat on the edge of his dresser, staring at the bed. The place that held the most Natsumi. The side in which she slept on smelled of her, even had an indent on the pillow where she would rest her head. This was where he had been for the past four days. He hadn't slept, hadn't eaten. Heck, he hadn't even moved.

A sneer of self-loathing made its way to his features. God he was such a monster. Lying to her in order to keep her. He was no better than the daimyo that had held her captive for most of her life. Now that he thought about it, he was worse. He had made her believe that he was the only one she could trust, and had made her completely dependent on him. He was really all she knew outside of that terrible place. On top of that, he had kept her caged in his home, so that she wouldn't learn the truth. He had kept her from making any friends, or having as much fun as she could have had in her newfound freedom.

He stiffened when he heard his front door open, but didn't move to acknowledge his father's presence in the doorway. "Well, I can't say I'm not surprised. I did tell you it was all going to blow up in your face. Although, I didn't realize it was going to be this bad. Man, you must feel terrible. You just can't seem to ever do anything right." Sasuke said, shaking his head. Akito just remained silent, staring at the bed. This was probably the only time in which he felt he deserved his father's ridicule, and so decided to sit there and take it.

"I just came to inform you that I'll be going away for a few days." The elder Uchiha said nonchalantly. "Gaara and Sakura are hosting a party at the Regis Hotel in four days at seven for Natsumi. Sort of a welcome home type of thing, and I was invited by Natsumi personally. Imagine that. It seems they don't hate me as much as they used too. I guess it's all been transferred to you, though I don't blame them."

"Why are you telling me this?" Akito asked, finally turning to look at his father. Was the man just trying to torment him further? Because it was working. Somehow, Akito felt even worse.

"Well, I just didn't want you to come and show up uninvited. You're not invited, by the way. Actually, you're the last person they want to see. But I'll be heading up with Naruto and his family." Sasuke said.

Akito just gave him a blank stare, slightly confused. "Okay…"

"So remember, Regis Hotel. Suna, seven o'clock. Four days from now. That's where I'll be. With Natsumi. And it's a white tie affair, so wear a tux. Actually, don't, since you're not invited. So I shouldn't see you there. At all." The elder Uchiha said, giving his son a pointed look. Akito just grew even more confused. Seeing that he wasn't completely understanding, Sasuke sighed visibly. "Just think about it, son." He said, walking forward and placing something in Akito's lap. Then he left.

Akito looked down, and his eyes widened. It was the roll of pictures he and Natsumi had taken, the day after they had had sex for the first time. He studied each picture individually, remembering in clear detail the entire event, and which ones she had said were her favorites. His eyes stopped on the one where they were both smiling, and the corner of his mouth tilted up a bit. She did always make him smile, and it seemed even if she wasn't present she could still do so. She was always laughing and smiling, and he missed it. Missed her. He snorted.

She was so irritating. No matter how hard he tried, she always forced her way into his head. That small, tiny slip of a girl had somehow wedged her way under his skin and into his mind, and possibly, his heart. He didn't really know what love was, but if it was what was causing him to feel this way, then that must be it. He didn't feel complete without Natsumi next to him. He was just a shell of who he was before meeting her. So, maybe he did love her. Yes, he thought with a nod, that must be it.

But, if he loved her, how was he going to tell her? He couldn't just write her a letter, that was too impersonal. And Toshiro had told him to stay away, or he'd be killed, so that wasn't much of an option. Although, he loved Natsumi enough to want to risk death. If it meant he could apologize and tell her his true feelings, then he would do it.

He remembered what his father had told him, about the party, and rose in order to shower. He wanted to look his best after all. Then he paused, thinking back on the conversation. Did that mean he wanted him to go? Since he had given him all of the necessary information to crash the party, so to speak.

Shrugging it off, Akito began to prepare for his journey. It would only take him two and a half days if he travelled fast enough, giving him enough time to sort out what he was going to do, and what he was going to say to Natsumi in order to win her back. Because boy, did he have a lot to tell her.


	14. Celebration

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Fourteen_

-Celebration-

Natsumi stared in the mirror of her vanity. She lifted her hand and touched her cheek, trying to see if the old her was still in there. She smiled. Her old life was gone, she was finally with her family. Her family that wanted her more than anything, and she was happy. Her hair was clipped up, some of her bangs falling loosely into her face. There were pins decorated with pearls in her hair, making her feel like a princess. And tonight she was. Her parents were throwing a huge party to show to the world that she was home and where she belonged. She would get to meet lots of people and have a fun time.

She stood up from the vanity and smoothed out her dress. It was a white strapless dress that clung tightly around her breasts. The dress was shot in the front, stopping just above her knees and then flowed longed in the back down to her ankles. There was a pendent in the center, just below her chest that was made up of diamonds and pearls. Over the white fabric was a sheer white that fanned out over the top and fell loosely with the rest of the dress. She took in her appearance and glanced down at the matching strappy heals.

She looked at her reflection once more and let out a deep breath. She really did look gorgeous, and she actually found herself grateful she was so beautiful. It made her feel like she actually belonged with her family. They were all so powerful and strong, and looked flawless.

It had been a little over a week since she got to Suna and began her life with her family. In that time she had learned a little bit of medical jutsu from her mother, and had trained with both her father and Toshiro. They had both taken it upon themselves to help her learn to control her sand, and she was getting really good at it. Or at least she thought she was. There was a knock at the door, getting the young woman's attention. "Coming." She said quickly, hurrying to the door. She opened it to see her brother, dressed formally in a tux with a black tie.

She smiled at him lovingly and he returned the gesture tenfold. "Are you ready?" he asked, offering her his arm. She nodded and took his arm, allowing him to lead her downstairs. They walked down the steps and met their parent in the foyer. Gaara looked up and let a smile crawl up his face. He was dressed similar to Toshiro, with a black tie.

He walked up to his daughter and took her hands, kissing her cheek. "You look absolutely gorgeous Natsumi."

"Of course she does, she takes after me." Sakura said with a smile, walking forward and placing a hand on her shoulders. She was wearing a floor-length black dress that cinched at the waist on her right side, with a slit up to her thigh, and had one strap on the opposite shoulder. The top of the dress had a sweetheart neckline on the right side, and a halter on the left. Where the dress cinched, it had a flower sewn in with beads that looked like pearls, as well as on top of her left shoulder. Her hair was done in ringlets, and her bangs were pinned back with an elegant clip. Sakura's eyes watered slightly as she took in her daughter's appearance. "You're going to be the belle of the ball honey."

"Aren't I supposed to? It is my party after all." She laughed, making them join in.

"Well come on, let's head out." Gaara said, offering his arm to Sakura. She took it, giving him an endearing look as he led her out. Toshiro did the same and walked with Natsumi. They reached the hotel and went into the main ballroom, which was already filled with people. When they entered, everyone applauded, not bothering to hide their stares from the main attraction.

Natsumi blushed and waved to a few people she recognized. She stopped and went wide eyed, smiling brightly. She detached from Toshiro's arm and grabbed the front of her dress hurrying over to the elder. "Sasuke-sama! I can't believe you came." She said excitedly, curtsying.

The corner of Sasuke's mouth tilted up at seeing Natsumi once again. "Of course I came. It would have been rude not to, after you were kind enough to invite me. Besides, if I didn't, you would have been upset, and we can't have that on your special day."

She laughed, the sound almost unbearably sweet. "I would have been sad. You and Minako were the only ones I invited myself. Everyone else was my parent's idea, not that I mind or anything, but I was looking forward to seeing you." She laced her fingers together and looked around the crowd. "So I think there will be dancing later. Would you dance with me? I would really appreciate it. Since I think my brother is going to ask Minako. After all they didn't exactly part on good terms."

"Yeah, I heard about that. But yes, I would be honored to dance with you before the night is though." He said, bowing slightly. Minako came up to them then, smiling brightly at the pink haired woman. Her hair was done up in an elegant french twist, with a few small ringlets framing her face. Her dress matched her eyes, and was floor-length, with a halter top, that showed off her curves nicely.

"Hi Natsumi-chan. You look so pretty, I love your dress." She greeted.

"Thanks." She said, hugging her friend. "Um, I think Toshiro was looking for you." She looked around, trying to spot her brother. Gaara came beside her and set a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on Natsumi, just the introduction and then you can mingle once more." He said giving Sasuke a look. He nodded to the man, having heard the story from Natsumi, and he was one of the ones who looked for Natsumi relentlessly until it was finally called off. "Sasuke." He said respectfully, leading his daughter off.

He tried not to let his thoughts go off the Uchiha line. He wondered, actually he knew, that because of his new hatred for the younger Uchiha, he could stand the elder one more. They walked up to a small platform where Sakura was already waiting for them. Natsumi stood between them, looking out at the massive crowd as her parents went on saying things about how glad they were she was back and that they would finally be a family.

When they were both done speaking everyone erupted into applause. Gaara led Sakura out and started to dance with her as the orchestra picked up. Toshiro even sought out Minako, placing a kiss on her cheek as he began to dance with her, whispering things into her ear. Natsumi just leaned against one of the tables around the room, watching the people dance together. She could tell the ones who were in love from the ones who were friends, and it actually made her sad. She let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes.

Forest green eyes took in the scene from the shadows, smiling to himself at his luck. Since Natsumi was alone, he could finally go talk to her. As Akito moved to walk towards her, his father walked up to the pink haired woman and began talking to her. Then he bowed slightly, and led her onto the dance floor. Cursing his father, he stepped back in order to hide himself once more. He had been at the party ever since it had begun, and was waiting for the opportune moment in which he could tell Natsumi his real feelings.

"You should not dwell on my son. Idiocy and selfishness runs in the Uchiha Clan." Sasuke said, twirling the young woman.

"Oh…" she paused and tried to give him a smile. "I wasn't thinking of him."

"Maybe not consciously. You are easy to read, like your mother." He began to turn her, leading her through the dance. "So, I hear from Sakura that you have begun to train as a ninja. How has that been going?" he asked, knowing she wanted the subject changed, and he didn't want her to become sad when this night was supposed to be a happy one. Although, no matter how he tried to hide his presence, he knew his son was there, and had purposely gone up to Natsumi at the moment he had in order to get on the younger Uchiha's nerves. Just because he had told his son where to go, didn't mean he was going to make it easy for him to speak to Natsumi.

She leaned closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. It was nothing romantic, he was just the closest thing she could get to feeling better. But she refused to allow her mind to wonder why. "It's going pretty well. My dad says I'm a prodigy with sand and healing is pretty simple…kinda. Well the stuff like scrapes is easy." She laughed, closed her eyes and smiled. "I think I might be getting better."

"With your chakra control it shouldn't be too difficult to master. From what I heard Sakura learned it all pretty quickly." He said, patting her back a bit awkwardly in an attempt to comfort her. "If you want I can create a training method for you to increase your speed when fighting. Nothing too rigorous, just a little something that will show you results pretty quickly." He offered. He liked Natsumi, surprisingly enough, and wanted to help her further her career as a ninja. In his own way, Sasuke was attempting to make up for his past wrongs by helping her.

She looked up at him excitedly, "That sounds great. I would really, really like that!" the song ended and she gave him a small curtsy. "Thank you for dancing with me. I think I'm going to go get something to drink. Would you like something?"

He shook his head. "No thank you. I'm going to go bother the idiot." He said, walking in the direction Naruto was standing with Hinata.

Akito felt hope, and stepped towards Natsumi once more. But just as he began to make his way towards her, Toshiro and Minako came up to her and began to make conversation. He grew even more irritated. Would he never get the chance to talk to her?

After about an hour, Natsumi finally left the company of Minako and Toshiro and went to go sit down. She was nibbling on some finger food that was being served around the room, but she looked bored and somewhat sad. As Akito moved once more to go talk to her, Naruto walked up to the pink haired woman, wearing a friendly smile.

"So you're Natsumi, eh? We haven't officially met, but my name is Uzumaki Naruto, Minako's dad." He said. "I'm the Hokage of the Leaf, probably your father's only friend, and Sakura-chan's long time friend and teammate." He told her, figuring he could just fill her in with all that.

She blinked and stared up at him oddly. "My dad doesn't have any friends?"

The blonde man held up a hand to hide his mouth from the crowd and whispered to her. "I don't know if you haven't noticed, but you dad is kind of a loner. Sakura-chan is the sociable one. And he kind of gives of an unapproachable vibe." He said.

She looked over at her father and mother seeing the validity to the man's statement. Her mother was talking animatedly while her father stood by her side, looking off as if the wall were more interesting. "I see." She looked back to Naruto and smiled. "Well I still love him. He's happy around me and that's all that matters."

"Of course, of course." He said with a nod. Then he scratched his head and looked slightly confused. "So…uh…when is your birthday again? I never really made it to your first one, so I don't know." Then he looked around worriedly. "Don't tell Sakura-chan I forgot, or she'll kill me." He whispered, actually fearing for his life.

She waved it off and giggled. "That's ok Naruto. I don't really remember when my own birthday is."

He blinked. "Really? Well this is perfect. Now when I ask Sakura-chan, I can just say you aren't sure and that I'm asking for you!" he declared, turning and walking towards his old teammate.

She laughed and watched him leave, resting her hands in her lap. This party was fun and all, but she just found herself frowning whenever she didn't have anything to distract her. She leaned back in her chair and propped her elbow on the table, resting her chin on her palm.

Deciding that now was as good a time as any, Akito took a fortifying breath and made his way towards Natsumi. He was stopped once more, but this time it wasn't with someone approaching Natsumi. His forest green met angry, hate filled jade. "What the _hell_ do you think you are doing in my village, none the less even five hundred feet within my daughter."

"I need to talk to her sir, please. It is important." He said, knowing that he needed to be polite to the elder Sabaku.

Another presence joined Gaara and Toshiro was beside his father, creating another barrier between him and Natsumi. "What are you doing here Akito. I thought I told you I would kill you if you ever came near my sister again. Did you misunderstand the threat?"

His gaze turned to his friend. "Of course not. But if death is what it takes in order for me to tell Natsumi what I came to tell her, then so be it. I promise once I say what I need to say I'll leave and never come back." He said, honesty showing in his green depths.

The elder didn't seem to buy it, but Toshiro actually looked as if he were considering it. "Get. Out. Now. I don't care if your father is here. I will kill you. You do not even deserve to be on the same planet as her after what you did." Gaara snapped. "What kind of man lies to a woman and keeps her a prisoner. You're no better than the disgusting pig that stole her from us."

By now the small commotion had attracted a light jade gaze. Natsumi furrowed her brow, trying to get a better look at what was going on. She could tell her father and her brother were upset due to their sand swimming around angrily. She stood, walking over to go see what the fuss was about. Then she froze, going a bit wide eyed when she saw Akito. What was he doing here? Suddenly, she felt the change in the grains and ran forward throwing her hand up.

Gaara's glare intensified and Akito could tell he was about to be attacked. But then, something odd happened, a wall of sand shot between the two redheads and Akito. It was obvious it was neither of the males, because they both looked shocked. In a swirl of sand Natsumi appeared before Akito, now the barrier between him and her family. "What do you want Akito?" she asked, not sounding mad, but incredibly sad. Sakura had come up now, joining Gaara and holding onto his arm.

"I came to tell you something, and then I swear I'll leave and never be a part of your life again, if that's what you wish." He said, giving her a somewhat pleading look.

Gaara tried to take a step forward, reaching his hand out to Natsumi. "Dear you don't have to li-" he stopped when a wall of sand rose between the two, keeping him away.

"And you will leave after that?" Natsumi questioned, watching him with a pained expression.

"I promise." He repeated, placing a hand over his heart and holding up the other to emphasize his point and show that he wasn't lying.

"…Ok…what?" she said hesitantly. She had mixed feelings about seeing him. It brought pain to her heart, yet…she felt alive and she knew she had missed him. But she shouldn't. He lied to her, so many times and kept her like a pet with a clever cage made of lies to make her think he was all she had.

"Well, when you asked me before, why I had lied to you, I said it was because I didn't want you to leave me. And that was the truth. When we were together, and you were in my home, I liked having you around. We traded cooking meals, you gardened, we trained together...you were the first thing I saw when I woke up, and the last thing when I went to bed. You make me smile, and feel happy, and when I see you smile, all of my worries fall away. It was like we were married, and when I really thought about it, I realized that that's what I wanted. I want you to be my wife Natsumi, because…I love you." He said, letting all of his love show in his eyes. "But I love you enough to let you go, if that is what you really want. Because I only want to make you happy."

Now the whole room was silent. Natsumi didn't really know what to say, because a part of her mind was telling her that he was lying. Toshiro on the other hand was absolutely wide eyed, because this was huge. Akito would never even pretend to lie about something as fragile and powerful as love. Natsumi looked up, lifting her finger to her lips and trying to keep reign on her whirling emotions. "I…can't believe you…you've lied to me so much…"

"I know. I don't deserve your trust, and I don't expect you to return my feelings. But I just wanted to tell you, because you have a right to know. My house feels empty now without your laughter, and so do I, without your presence. In the beginning I was afraid of being alone, and that was why I lied, but then it changed as my feelings for you grew, shortly after we took these." He said, holding out his copy of their pictures.

She tried to hide her surprise and reached out to take the pictures. "Natsumi." Gaara said sternly, making her stop. She glanced back at her father who was rigid. "Don't fall for his lies, he's an Uchiha. He will say whatever he wants to get back what was taken. They just can't stand to lose." She looked back at Akito and down at the pictures.

"I will never understand why you lied to me, and I will never be able to forgive you for telling me my parents were dead…" she said, hardening her gaze. He frowned and lowered his head in defeat, shutting his eyes. "But…" she wavered, making the smile that had formed on Gaara's face dissipate. "I haven't slept since I left Konoha…and you were the only safety I knew…you took me away from that hell…"

Akito looked up at her, his true pain showing on his face. "I will never forgive myself for what I did to you. I know I'm a monster, and I know that all I did was take you away from one prison to another. But when you love someone, you want to be with them no matter what, and, sometimes, the heart does things for reasons that even reason cannot understand. I cannot live without you, Natsumi, but, I know that Toshiro, and everyone here will watch over and protect you, so that is enough." He sighed a bit in defeat. "That was really all I came to say."

Minako blinked and scrunched her brow in confusion. "I thought you said that you were doing what they obviously failed to do and that Natsumi wasn't safe with anyone but you."

Gaara looked from Minako, slowly, to Akito in a very threatening way. Akito looked from Minako, to Gaara, and then back at Natsumi. "Yeah…well…I wasn't really thinking clearly when I said that. I was kind of in the beginning of a mental breakdown that didn't go very well." He said, knowing that it wasn't a very good explanation.

"It was really pathetic too. He just sat in his room and stared at the bed for four days straight." Sasuke said, never one to miss an opportunity to humiliate his son. Akito glared at his father, but remained silent.

Natsumi just stared at him, not really knowing what to say. "How can I trust you ever again Akito? You betrayed me."

"Oh come on." Sakura rolled her eyes, finally deciding it was time to intervene. "If we all stopped talking to each other over a little betrayal then no one would ever be friends or get married. I mean think about it realistically Gaara almost killed me when we were kids and we ended up getting married." At the look she received from her husband, she shrugged. "What? It's true." Then she looked back at Natsumi. "Honey, remember what I said when you first came back? Follow your heart, not your head. Don't listen to what anyone else says. Listen to your heart. Uchihas don't ever express themselves, trust me, so what you're getting right here is a special treat." She said, sending Sasuke a sideways glance, who just rolled his eyes slightly and looked away from her.

The girl looked from her mother to Sasuke and then to Akito. "But…" she began to protest. Toshiro just sighed and walked forward, shoving his sister towards Akito, making her stumble into his arms. She gripped onto his upper arms tightly, trying to steady herself, since this was the first time she had ever worn heels. She stiffened a bit and looked up slowly.

Akito slowly brought up a hand and stroked her face, giving her a tender look. "I lied when I said that was all I had to say. I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look tonight, like a desert flower. So, from now on, I won't lie to you ever again." He said, the corner of his mouth tilting up slightly. She studied his face, trying to find anything hidden there. She couldn't see anything that shadowed her doubt. She felt her eyes begin to water and finally cried over him, for the first time since she had arrived. She buried her head in his jacket, gripping the lapels of his formal coat.

"You let me go and you didn't come after me." she sobbed.

He began to stroke her head. "Hey, this _is_ me coming after you. You think I'd risk a painful death by your whole family if I didn't mean what I said?" He said softly. "I needed to sort some things out in my head, because when you left I didn't truly understand my feelings or my actions. And…at the time, I didn't think you wanted me to come after you. Plus, Toshiro shattered my jaw, and that _definitely_ needed to be fixed before I saw you again. I am somewhat vain you know." He said, trying to joke. Then he grew serious once more. "Please, don't waste your tears on someone has horrible as me." He began to brush away the trails of tears that were on her cheeks with his thumb.

"You're stupid." She grumbled, keeping a tight hold on him for fear that he would leave now that he had indeed said what he came to say.

He tilted her chin up and pressed his forehead against hers. "You make me this way." He stroked her cheek tenderly.

"Natsumi, are you going to tell him you love him or not?" Sakura asked, somewhat impatiently. She wasn't trying to ruin the moment, she just really wanted to know. The couple looked over at her, as did both of the redheads.

Natsumi looked at her mother and then down to the ground, "I can't answer that…"

"Why?" Toshiro asked, frowning.

"I don't know what real love is."

The younger redhead went a bit wide eyed but smiled. "Love is that fluttery feeling in your stomach when you see someone."

"Yeah," Temari said, stepping out from the crowd. "And you think about them all the time."

"You miss them when they are gone." Sasuke said simply.

"They are always there for you, even when you don't realize it." Naruto said, looking down at his wife, who smiled up at him.

"You can't stay mad at them for long, no matter how hard you try." Minako took a hold of Toshiro's hand then, squeezing it lightly.

"When you look into their eyes, you know you're home. Because wherever they are, is where you want to be." Sakura told her daughter, looking up at Gaara. He refused to look at her, crossing his arms stubbornly. Both Toshiro and Sakura elbowed him painfully from either side.

He spared them each a glare before looking at his daughter and then Akito. Jade met jade once more and he sighed. "…Love…is caring about someone…no matter how much they hurt you."

Natsumi just stared at him, wide eyed. She did care about Akito. A lot. More than she thought she should. Especially after what he had done to her. She turned around and looked back up at Akito. "You hurt me a lot…but I never stopped thinking about you."

"I never stopped thinking about you either." He said, giving her a slight smile. "And I promise to never hurt you again. It…pained me greatly to see you cry, even the memory of your tears upsets me." His brow furrowed slightly.

"You cannot promise something so impossible." Gaara interrupted, glaring at the younger Uchiha. "Do not say something that will bring only sadness. Not even I can accomplish such a thing. I hurt Sakura's feelings a lot, but that doesn't make her love me any less. And it sure as hell doesn't mean I won't try, but you will hurt her again."

Natsumi just stared at him and then back at Akito. He looked at the elder redhead. "Then I will do my best to make sure it doesn't happen. This whole feelings thing is new for me, so I'm kind of stumbling over myself a bit." He looked down at Natsumi. "Could you…I mean…would you be able to be with me…knowing that I'll hurt you again?" he asked, growing unsure. "I can't tell you that occasionally I won't get mad, or say hurtful things, but I can tell you that I will show you my love every day, one way or another. That _is_ a promise I can keep. And…not that I'm trying to sway you any, but, when you love someone, you take the good and the bad. Because if you love them, you love everything about them, not just the good parts."

She looked a bit skeptical, it seemed odd that there was a bad side to love. But then again she wasn't exactly an expert on the thing. "Do I do anything bad?" she asked innocently.

He smiled down at her. "No. But maybe that's why I fell in love with you, because your goodness helps cancel out my badness." He said, running his thumb along her jaw. "Your light helps get rid of my inner darkness Natsumi."

She smiled up at him, resting her hand over his. "Then maybe I can give you some of my good, and I'll take your bad, then you can be good too."

Akito returned her smile. "I would like that."

"I want you to be good." she said sincerely, holding his face with her other hand. "I missed you."

"And I you." He said, relaxing into her hand and relishing her touch. "My life is empty without you, Natsumi."

It was at that moment that Gaara pulled them apart and kept Natsumi pressed to his side. "Yes well that's all very touching, but you're out of your mind if you think I will allow you to take my daughter away from me." he glared hatefully at the Uchiha. Toshiro rolled his eyes and sighed. "Especially after you kept her for two months when you found her."

Akito kept his retort to himself, knowing that he needed to win over the last Sabaku. "I understand where you're coming from sir, and I do not blame you for hating me." He said. Then he did something no one would have ever guessed. He, Uchiha Akito, bowed to Sabaku no Gaara. Everyone in the room went wide eyed, especially Sasuke. "You have my deepest apologies and regrets. And though I know I don't deserve it, I ask for your forgiveness." He said, looking at the floor.

Sakura nudged the elder redhead. "Gaara, come on. I've never seen an Uchiha be this humble in front of anyone, especially you." She whispered, looking over at Sasuke and then back at Akito. "Perhaps he isn't as bad as we initially thought, if he's willing to do all this just to be with Natsumi."

"You were never going to bring her back." Gaara said sharply, not even impressed with the boy. Uchihas were crafty and did whatever they could to manipulate situations. "You are not forgiven. Now leave. Immediately."

"…Dad…" Natsumi looked at him sadly but his glare did not falter.

Akito straightened and locked gazes with Gaara. "I can tell you the exact location of the Daimyo that held Natsumi captive her entire life. My mission did not allow for me to kill him, but as a Kage, especially as her father, you have every right to do so." He said, hoping that this worked, because it was his last possible move in order to win the redhead over.

Everyone looked at Gaara once more, who looked far more than just intrigued. "The exact location?" he asked, repeating the younger man's words. This was definitely an offer. Natsumi hadn't really been paying attention when Akito had taken her away, and he was running far too fast anyway for her to look for any landmarks.

"Down to the last pebble." He said, finally allowing himself to feel hope in the situation.

A smirk slowly crept up his face, he released Natsumi and wrapped an arm around Akito's neck. "Akito my boy. So glad you could make it, why don't you and I go have a discussion in the other room. Then you can enjoy the rest of the party." He snickered, his mood changing instantaneously. Natsumi laced her fingers together, smiling happily as she watched the two walk off. She turned to her mother and jumped up, hugging her.

"I'm so happy! I can't believe I'm getting everything I want!"

Toshiro just smiled and pat his sister's head. "I'm just happy you are happy."

Sakura returned her daughter's embrace. "Nothing is better than finding the one you love." She said, and then turned back to everyone else, who was still staring. "Well, come on, this is a party after all. As you were." She ordered, causing the participants to resume their endless chatter and the musicians to begin playing again.

Natsumi giggled, looking between her mother and brother and then at the party. It seemed so much brighter now. She spotted Sasuke and waved to her family before heading him off. "Sasuke." She called, grabbing onto his arm as he was heading towards the exit. He glanced down at her beautiful smiling face and tried not to let his features mimic hers. "Thank you…"

"For what? It's not like I deliberately told Akito when and where your party was so he could come to see you. That would just be ridiculous." He said, the corner of his mouth tilting up.

She laughed, "Of course, simply ridiculous." She smirked, giving him a knowing look.

"Well, my work here is done. I'm going to head back to the hotel now, since I'm leaving in the morning." He told her.

She nodded. "Well I guess I will see you sometime soon hopefully."

"Marry my son, and we'll see each other all the time." He said, smiling slightly.

She blushed a light pink and waved him off. "See you later Sasuke. Sleep well." She pushed him off with an embarrassed giggle. She returned back to the crowd, talking with people she knew and joining in with their laughs. Finally, she found herself watching some of the couples dancing, swaying a bit with her arms wrapped around herself. They all looked so happy, and she couldn't help but understand. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind, and she was pulled against a firm chest.

"Hey there pretty lady, care to dance with me?" Akito's voice asked in her ear.

She felt the butterflies return to her stomach. She looked back at him, the best she could, smiling happily as she placed her hands on his. She turned around in his grasp and placed her hand on his shoulder and then the other in his open palm. "I would love to."

He began the motions of the dance, placing his free hand on her waist and pulling her closer. "So…when can I see you again?" he asked, a little unsure of himself. She hadn't really said whether or not she loved him or wanted to marry him, and so he did not know where he stood with her. He hoped she would want to stay in contact with him, even if all she wanted was to be friends, anything was better than nothing.

She looked up at him, a confused pout crossing her face. "Um…whenever you want I thought." She blushed, looking off shyly. "I…I thought you asked me to marry you, if I misinterpreted please forgive me." She glanced down then, feeling the nerves that seemed to appear only around him.

He reached up and grasped her chin gently, tilting it up so that she was looking into his eyes. "I did. But you never gave me an answer, so I assumed that you didn't want to." He said, running his thumb along her jaw in a tender caress.

She shut her eyes enjoying his soft touch. She placed her hands on his chest and leaned closer. "That was a lot to process and a lot was happening. I was kind of speechless."

"Then, Sabaku no Natsumi, will you marry me, and become Uchiha Natsumi?" he asked, stroking her cheek. Her eyes watered and she nodded quickly before she could say something stupid. Finally, she took a quick breath and the words that came out next made his heart skip a beat.

"I love you Akito. You are my knight in black armor." She teased a bit, leaning up and pressing her lips against his.

He returned her kiss in kind, pouring all of his love into it. When they parted, he pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you." He whispered, looking into her beautiful jade depths. "I wish I could stay with you tonight. I haven't slept at all since you left."

"Me ether." She whispered back, resting against him as they danced. No one dared to interrupt them and Akito was glad, because he would have killed whoever it was. He had already been without her for too long. As the night wore on, people started to leave, waving their goodbyes to the elder Sabakus and congratulating them both on finding their daughter and joining with such a powerful line.

Natsumi and Toshiro had been whispering to one another for a while now, leaving Akito and Minako to themselves, getting something to eat just to fill their stomachs. "So." Minako nodded, taking a bit out of a shish kabob. "You're engaged."

"Yup. How long are you going to wait until you start to bother Toshiro about getting married?" he asked, giving her a knowing smirk.

"I think I'll drop a few hints here and there, and then once you two tie the knot I'll really lay it on." She told him with a confident smile.

He snorted, already picturing the hell his friend was going to receive if he didn't ask her soon. And now he had no excuse, since Natsumi had been found and he no longer had to divert his time to look for her. "I wish you luck then."

"Thank you Akito-kun." She said, her smile widening. It was then that Natsumi and Toshiro walked up to them, both smiling brightly. It was kind of creepy, just how similar they acted, even though they had only truly known each other for a short time.

"So Minako. I was thinking since you are in Suna, you should sleep over. That way we can have fun tonight just the two of us." The pink haired woman said excitedly.

"And since you don't have anywhere to stay Akito, why don't you just sleep over too, like you do when you normally visit." Toshiro grinned.

Minako brightened instantly. "I would love to Natsumi-chan! It sounds like fun."

"Hn. Better than staying in the same hotel room as my father." Akito said, shrugging slightly. "I'm in."

"Fantastic." They said together, turning around and heading towards their parents. "Mom can Minako spend the night tonight? I want to have a sleep over."

"Dad, is it ok if Akito stays the night like usual? We'll make breakfast in the morning."

Both Gaara and Sakura looked at their children, looking as if they had been interrupted from a serious conversation. "Yeah sure, I don't see why not." Gaara said, not really listening.

"Have fun kids. Don't do anything stupid." Sakura told them, nodding absentmindedly.

"We won't," Natsumi began.

Toshiro nodded. "Promise."

Gaara waved them off, leading Sakura away and continuing to whisper into her year. Natsumi took Minako's hand and pulled her ahead, heading out the door with Toshiro and Akito close behind. Toshiro glanced at his friend and crossed his arms, focusing back on his bouncing sister. "I hope you know this doesn't mean I won't be watching you."

Akito rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. If you didn't watch me I'd be suspicious." He said, smiling slightly at his friend.

He smirked and gave him a friendly punch to the arm. "Just don't do anything you'll regret. Next time the second you lay eyes on her I'll rip your head off with my bare hands." He said, sounding serious. And the scariest part was, the task wouldn't even make him break a sweat.

He punched his friend back. "Yeah, I'll let you do it if you can catch me. Though, you have gotten a bit slow." He joked.

Toshiro scoffed. "You try searching for someone for years. It starts to take its toll." He smiled, finally they reached the house and went in laughing and giggling as Minako and Natsumi rushed up the steps. Toshiro followed with a small smirk, who was followed by Akito. Once they were inside the left hall Natsumi stopped at Toshiro's door and turned to face the guys.

"Well goodnight." She smiled, but the gesture was only directed at Toshiro.

"Night Natsumi. Have fun." He smiled back.

"You too!" she snickered. She leaned forward and took Akito's hand as Toshiro grabbed Minako. "See you in the morning!" she waved, pulling Akito down the hall towards her bedroom.

Toshiro smirked down at a wide eyed Minako and helped her into his room, closing the door quickly and locking it behind them.

Natsumi pushed through her doors and dragged Akito in, doing the same. She turned back around, leaning against the door with her eyes on set on him. He smirked down at her. "Well, I knew you were devious, but I never suspected you to be this conniving. Perhaps I'm rubbing off on you." He said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her against him.

"Maybe I am." She whispered seductively, tracing her fingertip along his jaw line. "But why would I sleep with Minako, when I could sleep with the man I love who I've missed for so, so, _so_ long. I've been so lonely Akito." She whined softly, pressing against him.

He smiled down at her. "Well, then allow me to rid you of this loneliness. I know just the way to do it too." He said, picking her up and carrying her to the bed. That night, the newly engaged couple spent their time showing each other how much they were missed, and exactly how lonely they had been.


	15. Closure

**LoveShinobi A/N: Well, this is the final chapter of Lost and Found. I hope you all enjoyed this little Akito x Natsumi tid bit and I assure you there is more to come! But thank you for reading and please review!**

**Angelv A/N: Here it is, the final chapter. We had a lot of fun writing it, and we hope that you guys had just as much fun reading it. Don't worry, we have TONS of Akito x Natsumi stories in the works for ya'll, so keep an eye out! And don't forget to review!**

**Lost and Found**

_Chapter Fifteen_

-Closure-

Akito opened his eyes and came face to face with a head of pink hair. He smiled to himself and looked down to see Natsumi sleeping peacefully in his arms. They had stayed up pretty late the night before, and had completely worn each other out. But it was totally worth it. He shifted a bit and brushed some of her hair out of her face. "Natsumi," he said softly. "Wake up. We told your parents we'd make breakfast." He stroked her cheek tenderly then.

She groaned, moving into his warmth, seeming to fall back asleep due to his close proximity. He laughed and pat her face gently. "Come on now, we don't want to break our promise."

She huffed loudly and snuggled closer, "I don't want to get up. Besides my parents aren't even here." she said with a sigh. Then her eyes flashed open and she sat up, looking around the room. "Why aren't my parents here?" she asked, giving him a panicked look, she jumped out of bed and headed for the door, only stopping when she felt cold. She glanced down and let out a small yelp, trying to cover her naked body with her hands. She hurried over to her closet and pulled out one of her robes and quickly tied the black silk around her. Akito laughed and rose as well, pulling on his pants, which had been thrown to the other side of the room.

"Come on dearest," he teased. "Let's go see if Toshiro knows where they are."

She nodded and left the room with him close behind. When they reached Toshiro's room Natsumi banged on the door, and after a few moments the redhead answered. His hair was tousled and he had obviously hurried to pull some pants on and a black shirt. "What?" he asked, sounding tired.

"Mom and Dad are gone!" Natsumi yelled, sounding more panicked than before.

Toshiro went a bit wide eyed and then became silent, concentrating. "Yeah, they're gone." Minako came up behind the redhead wearing only his long black robe.

"Where would they have gone so early?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Akito's eyes widened slightly as he realized where they went. "They'll be back later." He said. When everyone looked at him quizzically, he shrugged. "They had some business to take care of in the Land of Rock." He looked to Natsumi then. "It seems that fat lard is finally going to get his just desserts."

* * *

The Daimyo, Ouzin, sat up from his luxurious bed, scratching his stomach. He looked over to the clock in the room and growled. "Kon! Why did you let me sleep so late?" Ouzin shouted, grumbling to himself as he stumbled out of bed. He trudged over towards his bathroom, hesitating when he heard nothing in reply to his angry yell. He glanced back to the door of his bedroom and made his way towards the double doors. He opened them and looked out into the hall, seeing no one. The entire house was oddly silent. "Where are those useless guards?" he growled, shutting his door and continuing his morning routine. He went into the bathroom and turned on the faucet to the sink, running his hands under the hot water.

He looked into the mirror on the wall and rubbed his face, examining what work needed to be done for the day. He reached forward and pulled open the mirror, looking into his cabinet. He took down some of his pills and some after shave and then closed it, jumping in alarm when he saw that he was no longer alone. There in the reflection, standing behind him was the Kazekage of Suna. Cold fear washed through him at that moment.

"Hello Daimyo Ouzin." Gaara said darkly, a sadistic smirk making its way to his face.

Ouzin turned around then, pressing back against the counter. "L-Lord Kazekage-sama! W-What are you doing here?" he asked, stuttering terribly. The fear seemed to make Gaara's smirk grow. The plump man slid along the wall, trying to make his way to the door, and only grew more alarmed when the Kazekage remained still, following him with only his eyes.

"I thought I would pay a visit to the man who 'took care' of my daughter for the past eighteen years." He said, facing the Daimyo once more.

"Wh-what are you talking about K-Kazekage-sama? Your missing child? I have no idea where she could be. As you can tell she's not here." He tried to play it off, but his worst nightmare was standing in his bathroom.

"Oh I know she's not here." Gaara said simply, walking towards him, tracing his finger along the countertop's edge. "She's in Suna right now, probably sleeping with the one who saved her from this disgusting hole in the ground." He said, finally focusing back on his target.

The pig of a man glared. "That infuriating Uchiha boy!"

"Silence!" The redhead snapped, finally glaring hatefully. "You are nowhere near deserving enough to speak a word about my new son-in-law."

Ouzin went wide eyed, turning pale. This was bad, very, very bad. It was then that he saw the sand snaking its way towards him. He turned around and grabbed the handle of the door, throwing it open only to come face to face with the Kazekage's pink haired wife. "S-Sabaku no Sakura!"

Sakura smiled humorlessly at the man. She looked him up and down, a contemplative look coming to her eyes. "Hm. Akito was right, you are a fat lard." Then she shrugged. "Oh well, my muscles could use a workout. Perhaps after we rough you up a bit Gaara and I could play catch." She said with a sadistic smile, slowly cracking each of her knuckles as she gave him a dark look.

"B-but I d-didn't do anything! I took care of Sumi like she was my own!" he said, his head whipping back and forth between the two.

Sakura's emerald gaze hardened. "Do _not_, call my daughter by that name." she threatened, taking a step towards him.

He paled and then felt the sand wrapping around him tightly. Gaara stopped behind him and grabbed the back of his neck, forcing him to look back. "You will never, ever get to see my daughter again. After we're done torturing you…I'm going to take you back to Suna. Where you will be imprisoned for the next eighteen years and then executed." He said darkly.

Ouzin went wide eyed. "Pl-please no!"

Sakura grabbed the front of his neck and turned his head back towards her. "And it's not going to be a humane execution either. I think I might just rip your head off myself." Ouzin began to tremble at the vision he was getting from the pink haired woman's words. "Although, since I have eighteen years to think about it, I might come up with something worse." She sneered at him. And he couldn't even say anything to try and defend himself, because in that moment, Sakura tightened her grip, not wanting to hear any more of his pathetic excuses.

Gaara stepped closer, towering over the pudgy man. "I'm going to enjoy watching you suffer." he smirked, and the sand around him tightened painfully, making it even more difficult for him to breathe. "Though...food for thought...if you give us the name of the one who actually stole her we may possibly think about being inclined to let you live."

Ouzin made a choking noise, and Sakura loosened her grip enough for him to take a few deep breaths. "I don't know his name!" he said hurriedly. "She was being sold on the black market, so to speak. It was all very hush hush. But, I heard a rumor that he's long dead now…I think."

"Shame, you could have taken tons of pain away from your death if you were useful." Sakura said, not sounding sorry in the least that she wouldn't get to torture him. She looked at Gaara then. "Shall we?" she asked with a raised brow.

He nodded, grabbing Ouzin by the hair roughly and dragging him out into the room. "Well, we'll see just how much you can remember after I have Akito deal with you using Tsukuyomi. Who knows, he may even be more ruthless than us." The redhead smirked, wrapping his arm around Sakura's waist. He looked down at her and gave her a tender look. "It's been a while since we've had some time to bond like this." he smirked.

She chuckled and pat his stomach. "Let's make the most of it then."

The sand around them picked up then and took them away, back to Suna, where the daimyo's torture for the next eighteen years would begin.

* * *

Gaara walked into the front of his home, followed closely by Sakura. "Mom! Dad! You're back! Where did you go? I was so worried." Natsumi yelled, attacking her father with a hug. She held onto him tightly, peeking over his shoulder at her mother.

"Nothing to worry about Natsumi. We just had to take care of something. Sorry to have worried you." Gaara said, actually sounding kind. He glanced up to see Akito walking in, most likely because his daughter had just gone into a mad panic. "Oh Akito. I'm sure you will want to join in, I've brought back a fattened pig." he smirked.

Akito returned the smirk in kind. "Of course. I never miss out on a good roast."

"I think I'm going to like having him as a son in law." Sakura remarked, wrapping her arm around her husband's waist and looking over at Natsumi. "I hope we didn't worry you too much dear, with our absence."

"She was totally flipping out." Toshiro laughed, scooping another spoon full of ice cream into his mouth as he walked in. "She would have started crying if Akito hadn't comforted her."

"That's not true!" Natsumi glared back at her brother, but had a small blush dusting across her cheeks. Gaara frowned at his son and then looked down at his sweet little girl.

"Well at least I was right about Akito. Good thing I talked you into forgiving him honey." the elder Kazekage said, patting Natsumi's head, who happened to look very confused.

"Excuse me?" Sakura glared, crossing her arms.

Gaara looked back at his wife and smiled. "I said it's a good thing I talked you into letting Akito have a second chance. Seems he really knows how to take care of this little cherry blossom."

"I believe Toshiro and I were the ones who talked her into it, while you were doing the exact opposite." The elder pink haired woman said, giving her husband a pointed look.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Tomato, _tomato_." He said looking back at Natsumi. "Sorry we frightened you sweetheart. Are you ok?"

Natsumi nodded and looked back at Akito. "I do have a _little_ stability." She laughed.

Akito smiled down at her. "You make me stable too." He said, ruffling her hair affectionately.

Sakura laughed and headed to the kitchen. "Come on, I'll make everyone some tea."

"Sweet." Toshiro said, following after her. Natsumi took Akito's hand and walked with him into the living room, sitting next to him on one of the small couches. Toshiro sat in the one across from them, since his mother and father always sat on the center love seat. Natsumi leaned against Akito, resting her head on his shoulder and pulled her legs up, snuggling against him.

Gaara took his spot as Sakura disappeared into the kitchen. "So," he began. "I better be getting some grandchildren from you, cause' Toshiro has been dropping the ball in the whole marriage area."

"Tell me about it." Minako said, sitting next to Toshiro. "We've been seeing each other way longer than Natsumi-chan and Akito-kun, and they're already engaged. And it isn't like I haven't hinted or anything." She elbowed him in the ribs and smiled to show she was joking. But everyone knew deep down she was dead serious.

Toshiro frowned, looking a bit irritated. "You know what. I've been kind of busy for the past ten years ok, so just get off my back about that."

Natsumi blinked, sitting up a bit. "Looking for me?"

"That's been Toshiro's main priority his entire life. He's never put anything above that. Which includes furthering his romantic relationship." Gaara said simply.

Sensing an argument coming on, Akito cut Minako off before things could go south. "You can probably expect your first grandchild within the first year of our marriage. Unless Natsumi wants to wait." He said, looking down at her.

Everyone looked at her then, making her go a dark red. "Wait, what? I have to have a baby?" she asked, looking very confused.

Toshiro nodded, "Yup. It's what married couples do. Have sex and get a baby."

"But I've had sex tons of times with Akito and I never had to have a baby before." She protested, placing her hands against her stomach. Both Gaara and Toshiro were wide eyed and then turned their glares to the Uchiha.

"What?" he said innocently, looking between the two. "She starts it just about every time, and she got little outfits. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm weak." He held his hands up in the air.

Gaara just gave him an angry look. "Yeah but who bought them for her."

"My friends." Natsumi said simply, smiling.

Both redheads just looked to one another and then back at Natsumi and then to Akito. "Akito I can't believe you slept with my sister." Toshiro groaned, leaning his head back and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well you slept with Minako, and she's like a sister to me." Akito crossed his arms. Minako turned beet red from embarrassment then, and her eyes widened.

"_Like_ being the key word in that sentence my friend." He countered, just getting an approving nod from his father.

The young Uchiha shrugged. "Still. Can't change the past now." He looked down at Natsumi. "But we don't have to have kids if you don't want to. I just…kinda thought we would. Eventually." She looked back at him and then down.

"Do you want me to have a baby?" she asked.

"Well," he began, thinking of how best to explain it to her so that she wouldn't get angry. "It is ideal in prestigious families, such as yours, and in clans, such as mine, to have kids. It continues the lineage, and family name, you see. And, since my father and I are the last Uchihas, it would make sense for us to have kids. But I don't want you to do something you don't want to do." He told her.

"But I'm only nineteen. Do people really have babies that early?" she paled, wrapping her arms around her stomach and leaning forward.

Sakura came in then, carrying a tray with tea and cakes on it. "Well, I wasn't pregnant with Toshiro until I was twenty-one, but it was within your father's and mine first year of marriage. But," she said, setting down the tray on the table and pouring everyone glasses, "if you think about it, you and Akito will probably be engaged for at least six months, in order to plan a proper wedding, and by then you will be twenty." She handed her daughter a cup of tea then. "But honey, don't feel like you're being pressured into children." She sat down next to Gaara then and leaned against him slightly.

She sipped at her tea and sighed, "But I don't even know how to take care of myself, nonetheless a baby."

Gaara snorted. "No one knows how to take care of a baby."

"It's a learning process. And Akito will be there for you. And Sasuke, and Minako and her family, and Tsunade-shishou can teach you all you need to know." Sakura said.

"But we can wait a while until you feel comfortable enough about the idea to have kids Natsumi. I am content to just have you." Akito told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and rubbing her arm in a comforting manner.

She sighed, not really finding comfort in his words but tried to ignore it. "I just want to get married."

"Speaking of which," Gaara began, leaning back against the couch, keeping an arm wrapped around Sakura's waist. "What exactly is going to happen?"

A contemplative look came to Akito's face then. "Well, I figured Natsumi will stay here for a while, because I want her to have some time with her family, since I did get to have her for two months." He said, looking a bit guilty. "And during that time, I will come visit every so often. Then we can begin wedding preparations and the like, get married, and live in my home." He looked at Natsumi. "How does that sound?"

"You're not going to stay with me?" she asked, looking a bit helpless.

He blinked. "Well, I can, I just didn't want to take away time from your family."

"That's very sweet Akito, but you can stay here with us for a while. I'm sure Naruto will allow it. And then you two can go to Konoha to begin planning your wedding." Sakura said, smiling at him.

Gaara frowned, glancing off a bit. Natsumi shook her head. "No, I don't mind having it there, but I want to plan it here. Since you can't come to Konoha for that long right? So I want to spend as much time here with you as possible." She told her mother, smiling brightly.

"I've got an idea." Toshiro perked up. "How about we plan it here, and then we can all go to Konoha together for the wedding, and then after you guys get married, Natsumi can come and stay in Suna one week of every month until she gets tired of it. That way we can both have her fair enough." Natsumi nodded excitedly and looked back at Akito, awaiting his approval of the plan.

Akito thought about it for a minute. He supposed the week of every month she stayed in Suna he could go on longer missions to keep his mind off the fact that she wasn't with him. Yes, that sounded good. He nodded. "Sounds good to me. Whatever makes Natsumi happy is the best course of action."

"Perfect, I can come get you and we can travel together." Toshiro smiled.

Natsumi huffed, "I can go by myself. I'm learning how to use my sand and other sorts."

"I would feel better about it if for the first couple of months or so Toshiro got you. Just to be safe." Akito said, looking down at her. "At least until you've been trained well enough in taijutsu, healing, and your sand."

She crossed her arms and leaned back in aggravation. "Whatever."

Gaara just gave her a small smile. "As you said small one. You hardly know how to take care of yourself."

"But by then I'll have trained a lot and gotten better!"

"Yes, but there are other ninja out there that have been training their whole lives. Until we're completely comfortable with you travelling by yourself, you should just let Toshiro come and get you." Akito said.

Minako, understanding where her pink haired friend was coming from, decided to speak up. "I can always travel with Natsumi-chan and meet Shiro-kun halfway. You know, for some girl time." She suggested, sending Natsumi a meaningful look. Because if they traveled together, she wouldn't coddle her friend like she knew the younger redhead would. It was just something that had to do with feeling independent and like you aren't a burden.

"I want to go by myself." She said again, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I don't want to go if it's not by myself. And then I'll just be miserable for the rest of my life because I wasn't fully fulfilled to a normal life." She stated, making sure she included something that would make Akito allow her as well to leave. Since, if she didn't go he would be fine with having her in Konoha.

"Would you consider allowing Toshiro and Minako to take you the first time? Just so you know the route." Sakura asked. She didn't care how old or how capable her daughter was at the moment. She had just gotten her baby back, and she would not risk her safety.

She shook her head. "No. You send twelve year old kids out to do missions. No matter how stupid they might be they still get to go out there. I'm nineteen and you said so yourself I would be twenty soon. And I saw the route to get here. I did travel with Toshiro, I wasn't unconscious."

Akito let out a small sigh. "Alright, I'm fine with it." He said. When Sakura gave him a surprised look, he decided to explain something. "On our way to Konoha she took out four men on her own, and that was on the taijutsu I was able to teach her and what I could tell her about controlling her sand based off my spars with Toshiro. I believe she can do it."

Both Toshiro and Gaara looked over in shock, simply amazed. "Really? You've actually killed someone?"

Natsumi frowned. "Yes I have. It wasn't like I wanted to, but they hurt Akito, and they were bad people trying to take me away."

"Well then I see no reason why she can't go alone." Sakura said. If her daughter could kill four men when an Uchiha couldn't, then she had to be skilled enough by now to travel on her own.

Gaara shrugged, "I'm fine with it."

Natsumi cheered and clapped her hands together excitedly. "I'm so happy." She told them all, giving them appreciative glances. Everything she wanted was coming true and she would get to be with both her families. Her mother, father, and brother and her new family with Akito and Sasuke.

"Well, it's almost time for lunch. Anyone hungry?" Sakura asked.

"I am!" Natsumi smiled.

Gaara stood, leaning down and kissing Sakura's cheek. "I have to run to the office real fast. But I'll be back by the time lunch is ready. See you then." He waved and disappeared in a swirl of sand. Toshiro just sat back and nodded.

"I'm going to go change." Natsumi said, standing. "I need to wash up anyways. Come on Akito." She called over her shoulder heading out of the room. Toshiro and Sakura gave him a look.

"What? She needs my opinion." He said with a devious smile, following her up the stairs. As soon as they were both in the room he pulled her into his arms, making her gasp as he kissed her deeply. "You make me happy." He said against her lips.

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You make me happy too, but what's with the suddenness?" she asked, pressing against him.

"Nothing, I just wanted to tell you." He said, stroking her cheek. "Our lives are going to be different from now on." She stared at him oddly, looking confused.

"How come?

"We don't have to hide the fact that we're together. I can be totally and completely honest with you. And I'll get to be with you forever." He explained, cradling her face in his hands.

She smiled up at him. "And I can go out whenever I want." She said, though it was obvious she was waiting for affirmation.

He nodded and kissed her forehead. "And you can see whoever you want. Unless they're dangerous, but I'm sure in Konoha you'll be fine." He said, smiling slightly as his thumbs traced beneath her eyes.

"And go shopping by myself?" she arched a brow with a smile.

"If you want."

She frowned, sensing his dislike of the idea. "Akito…it won't be a surprise if I go underwear shopping and you are there to see what I buy. Your best reactions were from the ones my friends got me." She smirked, placing her hand on the nape of his neck and rubbing it soothingly.

He smiled down at her. "True." He said, relaxing into her touch. She pressed against him once more and took in his scent, glad she had him back where he belonged.

"I love you Akito."

"I love you too Natsumi. I always will." He placed his forehead against hers.

She lifted her hands and held his face, "I will always love you as well. Thank you for saving me…you are my hero."

"And you are my beautiful flower." He murmured. She kissed him once more and then went over to her closet, changing quickly. When she was done, they heard Sakura call for them saying that lunch was ready. She looked up at her husband to be and took his hand, giving it a tight squeeze. She couldn't believe just how much her life had changed. She had gone from hell to heaven. She was free from her incarceration, she had a family that loved her and wanted her, and she had Akito, who was the cause of it all and would be with her until she died.

"Come on." she pulled him back out of the room and led him down the steps, ready to begin her new life.


End file.
